The power of the press

新聞報道的力量

In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned. However, this freedom can easily be abused. Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events. Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, it is extremely doubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves. Acting on the contention that facts are sacred, reporters can cause untold suffering to individuals by publishing details about their private lives. Newspapers exert such tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes to the lives of ordinary people but can even overthrow a government.

The story of a poor family that acquired fame and fortune overnight, dramatically illustrates the power of the press. The family lived in Aberdeen, a small town of 23,000 inhabitants in South Dakota. As the parents had five children, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty. They were expecting their sixth child and were faced with even more pressing economic problems. If they had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed. They would have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived in obscurity. But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing sixty reporters and photographers.

The rise to fame was swift. Television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country. Newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the exclusive rights to publish stories and photographs. Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but room baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products. The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by new $500,000 home. Reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to act as spokesmen for the family at press conferences. While the five babies were babies were still quietly sleeping in oxygen tents in hospital nursery, their parents were paying the price for fame. It would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives. They had become the victims of commercialization, for their names had acquired a market value. Instead of being five new family members, these children had immediately become a commodity.

在民主國家里，任何限制新聞自由的企圖都理所當(dāng)然地受到譴責(zé)。然而，這種自由很容易被濫用。常人軼事往往比政治事件更能引起公眾注意。我們都喜歡看關(guān)于別人生活的報道，但是否同樣喜歡看關(guān)于自己生活的報道，就很難說了。記者按事實(shí)至上的論點(diǎn)行事，發(fā)表有關(guān)別人生活的細(xì)節(jié)，有時會給當(dāng)事人造成極大的痛苦。新聞具有巨大的威力。它們不僅可以給尋常人家的生活帶來重大的變化，甚至還能推翻一個政府。

下面這戶窮人一夜之間出名發(fā)財?shù)墓适聭騽⌒缘卣f明了新聞報道威力。這戶人家住在南達(dá)科他州一個人口為23，000 的小鎮(zhèn)上，鎮(zhèn)名為阿拜丁。家里已有5個孩子，全家人常年在貧困中掙扎。第6個孩子即將問世，他們面臨著更為嚴(yán)峻的經(jīng)濟(jì)問題。如果他們只添了1個孩子，這件事本來就不會引起任何人的注意。這家人會繼續(xù)為克服經(jīng)濟(jì)上的拮據(jù)而奮斗，并默默無聞地活下去。但是他們出人意料生了個五胞胎，4女1男。這事使他們的生活發(fā)生了根本的變化。五胞胎降生第二天，一架飛機(jī)飛抵阿拜丁，隨機(jī)帶來60名記者與攝影師。

這一家迅速出了名。電視攝像機(jī)和報紙把消息傳送到全國。報紙、雜志出高價向他們購買文字、圖片的獨(dú)家報道權(quán)。不但素昧平生的人寄來了大量的禮物，而且嬰兒食品、嬰兒肥皂制造廠商為了替自己產(chǎn)品做廣告也寄來了大量的禮物。這家人住的舊家舍將由一座價值50萬美元的新住宅所取代。由于記者紛紛要求會見，他們不得不請了律師充當(dāng)他們家的發(fā)言人舉行記者招待會。眼下，五胞胎還靜靜地躺在醫(yī)院嬰兒室的氧氣帳里，他們的父母卻為這名聲付出了代價，他們再也無法過正常的生活。他們成了商業(yè)化的受害者，因為他們的名字具有了市場價值。這些孩子立即成了商品，而不是5個新的家庭成員。

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