2015考研英语阅读资讯的福克斯化

　　The Foxification of news

　　资讯的福克斯化

　　In the internet age, transparency may count formore than objectivity

　　在因特网时代，透明性可能比客观性更为重要

　　ONE OF THE worlds most profitable newsorganisations is Fox News, an American cable-news channel that is part of Rupert MurdochsNews Corporation. In 2010 it is thought to have made a profit of over $800m on revenues of$1.5 billion, according to SNL Kagan, a research firmmore than its rivals CNN and MSNBC puttogether. Fox was set up in 1996 by Roger Ailes, a former media adviser to three Republicanpresidents, specifically to appeal to conservative viewers. Its star hosts, such as Bill OReillyand Sean Hannity, offer distinctively right-wing opinion and commentary, though the channelinsists that its news reporting is unbiased. Fox is famous for being opinionated rather than forbeing profitable. Bill Shine, head of programming at Fox News, thinks these twocharacteristics are related. We offer opinions not seen anywhere else, he says.

　　目前世界上盈利最多的资讯组织当属福克斯资讯，福克斯资讯是一家美国有线资讯频道，隶属于鲁珀特默多克的资讯集团。2010年，研究公司SNLKagan指出，当年福克斯资讯盈利超过8亿美元，营业收入达15亿美元，超过了其竞争对手CNN和 MSNBC的业绩之和。福克斯资讯于1996年创立，其创始人 Roger Ailes曾为三位共和党总统担任媒体顾问，对于保守派人士吸引力尤甚。其当家明星主持，如Bill OReilly和Sean Hannity，都旗帜鲜明的持右翼观点，尽管福克斯强调其资讯报道是公正客观的。Fox以其敢言而非盈利著称。节目总监BillShine则认为二者相互关联。我们的观点在别处是看不到的。他如是说。

　　In a world where millions of new sources are emerging on the internet, consumers areoverwhelmed with information and want to be told what it all means. Fox is not the only newsorganisation that is unafraid to say what it thinks and is prospering as a result. Otherexamples include Al Jazeeras unabashed support for reform in the Arab world, Jon Stewartssatirical take on the news in the Daily Show, Rush Limbaughs hugely popular conservativeradio show or even The Economist. Perhaps significantly, MSNBC, which has lately beenpositioning itself to appeal to a left-wing crowd, is picking up viewers . Its notquite as political as what Fox does, says Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, but we definitelyhave a progressive sensibility, a sensibility to the left.

　　如今互联网上的信息来源数以百万计，消费者迷失其中，希望搞明白这些信息的意义。Fox并不是唯一一家敢于发声并因此不断发展壮大的资讯组织。其他组织，如Al Jazeera对于阿拉伯世界的改革给予了公正的支持，Jon Stewart在天天脱口秀上极尽挖苦之能，Rush Limbaugh广受欢迎的保守派电台秀，甚至还有TheEconomist。最明显的大概是近来声称吸引左翼人群MSNBC，它已经积聚其越来越多的人气。 我们没有福克斯那么政治化，MSNBC的总裁Phil Griffin说，但我们的确有着改革性的触觉，偏向左翼的倾向。

　　CNN, meanwhile, continues to lose out to its morestrident rivals, in prime time at least. Mr Griffin,himself a former CNN employee, reckons that thechannel has failed to move with the times byfavouring the disinterested, at-arms-lengthanchor. Mark Whitaker, CNNs managing editor,disagrees. He says his channel isknown for integrity and avoiding cheap opinion,and for providing more global coverage than itsrivals. In this day and age you should have a pointof view, but not necessarily one thats rooted inknee-jerk ideology, he says.

　　与此同时，CNN却不断被其更为尖锐的竞争对手攻城略地。在CNN鼎盛时期，前CNN雇员Griffin认为CNN还固守着其无利害关系的公平之锚，无法跟上时代的脚步。而CNN的管理编辑Mark Whitaker则表示反对，他认为他们频道一直以来秉承公正的精神，拒绝廉价的观点，同时比其他竞争对手提供更为广泛的全球性报道。 在这个时代，我们都应当有自己的观点，但这些观点不见得都来自于潜在的意识形态， 他说。

　　The idea that journalists should be impartial in reporting news is a relatively recent one. A lotof newspaper people treat it as one true religion, when its an artefact of a certain set ofeconomic and historical circumstances, says Joshua Benton of the Nieman Journalism Lab.Americas Founding Fathers nurtured a vibrant, fiercely partisan press with no licensing ofnewspapers or policing of content. During the 19th century newspapers gradually adopted amore objective stance, for several reasons. By appealing to a wider audience, they were ableto increase their circulation and hence their advertising revenue. Consolidation, and theemergence of local newspaper monopolies, also promoted impartiality. When you are theonly paper in town, you cant risk pissing off liberals by being too conservative, or vice versa,says Mr Benton.

　　要求记者在报道中的公正性是近期才出现的观点。 许多资讯人将其作为真正的职业信条，而这一信条其实只是一系列经济和历史条件下的人工产物。 尼曼资讯实验室的Joshua Benton这样说。美利坚合众国的创始人所建立的是具有强烈党派性的，充满活力的媒体，对于资讯媒体没有资质审查或内容限制。19世纪，出于多种理由，资讯媒体逐渐开始秉持更为客观的立场。通过吸引更多的受众，他们可以增加报纸销量，从而提高广告收入。媒体的间的兼并地方媒体大亨的出现更加促进了资讯的公正性。如果你是镇上的唯一一家媒体，你不可能过分坚持保守主义而冒险去惹怒那些自由主义者，反过来也一样。Benton先生说。

　　With the professionalisation of journalism in the early 20th century came a more detachedstyle of reporting. In effect, a deal was struck between advertisers, publishers and journalists,says New York Universitys Jay Rosen. Journalists agreed not to alienate anyone so thatadvertisers could aim their messages at everyone. That way the publishers got a broadermarket and the journalists got steady jobs but gave up their voices. Objectivity is a grandbargain between all the different players, says Mr Rosen. When radio and television emerged,Americas private broadcasters embraced impartiality in their news reporting to maximise theirappeal to audiences and advertisers and avoid trouble with regulators.

　　在20世纪，随着资讯工作的职业化，出现了更为分离化的报道风格。纽约大学的Jay Rosen认为，这事实上是广告商，出版商，以及记者之间达成的协议。记者不排除任何受众，那么广告商就可以吸引更多消费者。如此一来，出版商扩大了市场，记者得到了稳定的工作，但是却无法发出自己的声音。Rosen说，客观性是各利益方之间做成的一笔大交易。广播和电视出现之后，美国各个私人广播公司都在其资讯中坚持公正性原则，以此来赢得更多的观众和广告商，也避免在监管方那里惹出麻烦。

　　These days different countries have different preferences. In Europe overt partisanship innewspapers is widespread and state-run television channels often have partisan allegiances:Italys three state channels are each aligned with specific parties, for example. The politicalindependence of the BBC in Britain is unusual, and is in any case contested by critics whocomplain that it is too left-leaning. In India 81 of the 500 satellite-TV channels that havesprung up in the past 20 years are news channels, most of them catering to specific political,religious, regional, linguistic or ethnic groups. Only a few take an objective, pan-Indianapproach, says Daya Thussu of the University of Westminster.

　　如今不同国家的资讯风格迥异。欧洲报纸上随处可见公然的党派观点，国有电视频道也往往对其所拥簇的党派保持忠诚：例如意大利的三家国有电视频道就分别支持各自不同的党派。BBC的政治独立性比较特别，但是同样会有很多批评者抱怨其过于左翼。在印度过去二十年来出现的500家卫星电视频道中，有81家是资讯频道，它们之中多数偏向于某一特定的政治，宗教，地方，语言或种族群体。只有少数持客观的，泛印度的观点，威斯敏斯特大学的Daya Thussu如是说。