同學(xué)們?cè)趥淇糋RE的時(shí)候要多看英文讀物，出國(guó)留學(xué)網(wǎng)GRE欄目為大家?guī)?lái)“GRE雙語(yǔ)閱讀：英國(guó)政客與媒體”，希望能幫到大家哦。
Politicians v newspapers——Hold the presses
政客與媒體：媒體控制
The battle over newspaper regulation rolls into the long grass
新聞法規(guī)之戰(zhàn)暫被擱置
“IT IS not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” That (quoting Winston Churchill) is one MP's verdict on Britain's battle over newspaper standards. His judgment, if grandiloquent, is accurate. The clash between politicians and newspapers, which began with the revelation in 2011 of widespread phone-hacking by a tabloid, appears to have reached a conclusion. On October 30th the government approved a new regulatory system to discipline Fleet Street misbehaviour. But the hostilities have merely been postponed.
“那不是末日的開端，而可能是開端的終結(jié)。”這是某國(guó)會(huì)議員引用丘吉爾的名言對(duì)英國(guó)報(bào)紙標(biāo)準(zhǔn)做出的結(jié)論。如果極力夸大事態(tài)的嚴(yán)重性，他的論斷則恰如其分。從2011年沸沸揚(yáng)揚(yáng)的竊聽門事件開始，政客與報(bào)紙之間的對(duì)抗似乎總算有了一個(gè)了結(jié)。10月30日，為了督管英國(guó)報(bào)業(yè)的不當(dāng)舉措，政府通過(guò)了一個(gè)新的監(jiān)管體系。但這無(wú)非只是推后了雙方的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)。
The new system is the product of months of debate and compromise. Reacting to the phone-hacking scandal, the government commissioned a judge to investigate press standards. After a tortuous, year-long inquiry, Lord Justice Leveson recommended a tough new regulator backed by legislation.
這一新的體系是數(shù)月以來(lái)辯論和妥協(xié)的產(chǎn)物。作為對(duì)竊聽門事件的回應(yīng)，政府委任一位法官去調(diào)查媒體標(biāo)準(zhǔn)問(wèn)題。經(jīng)歷了一些兜圈子、耗時(shí)一年的調(diào)查后，英國(guó)最高法院大法官萊維森提議要建立一個(gè)強(qiáng)硬的監(jiān)管體系，這一提議獲法律支持。
In March the three main political parties responded by proposing a royal charter—an ancient device seen as less offensive to a free press than statute would be. The charter provides for a regulator as well as a “recognition panel”, free from press or political control, to police its independence. The regulator could impose fines of up to ￡1m ($1.6m) on newspapers and insist on prominent corrections. The charter also exposes newspapers that refuse to join the regulatory regime to punitive damages if cases are brought against them.
3月，三個(gè)主要的政治團(tuán)體提出皇家特許狀作為回應(yīng)—這是很久以來(lái)對(duì)自由媒體采取的策略中，較成文法而言攻擊性較小的法案。特許狀提出要建立監(jiān)管體系以及監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)籌備組來(lái)管轄報(bào)業(yè)獨(dú)立，而這一機(jī)構(gòu)既不受制于媒體，也不受制于政治團(tuán)體。它可向報(bào)業(yè)征收高達(dá)100萬(wàn)歐元(合160萬(wàn)美元)的罰款，且有權(quán)要求報(bào)業(yè)對(duì)報(bào)道內(nèi)容作出重大更正。特許狀也曝光了那些拒絕加入監(jiān)管體系的報(bào)紙，若案件與其不利，則有權(quán)對(duì)其征收損害性賠償。
The large newspaper groups are having none of it. They claim the royal charter amounts to government meddling. On October 30th judges struck down their bid to delay its introduction. Hours later the royal charter received the queen's assent. Politicians declared their job complete.
大的報(bào)紙團(tuán)體拒不買賬。他們聲稱皇家特許狀就相當(dāng)于政府干預(yù)。10月30日，法官否決了他們企圖延遲特許狀問(wèn)世的訴訟。幾個(gè)小時(shí)之后，皇家特許狀獲得了女王的應(yīng)允。政客們也表示他們的任務(wù)圓滿完成。
Ministers hope that editors and owners will sign up to the new system in order to avoid being hit with punitive damages. Some MPs think an ongoing news story will help push them into line. The trial of Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, two former editors charged with authorizing illegal reporting methods, began on October 28th. On October 30th a jury was told that three former journalists had pleaded guilty to charges of phone-hacking.
部長(zhǎng)們希望編輯和報(bào)刊所有者為了避免被索要損害性賠償，會(huì)選擇簽署加盟新的體系。一些國(guó)會(huì)議員也認(rèn)為正在進(jìn)行的報(bào)業(yè)整改有助于幫他們回到正軌。10月28日，兩位前編輯利百加·布魯克斯和安迪.科爾森因批準(zhǔn)非法報(bào)道渠道而被法院起訴。10月30日，陪審團(tuán)被告知三位前記者對(duì)監(jiān)聽電話的指控供認(rèn)不諱。
That is wishful thinking. Claire Enders, a media analyst, says there is “zero” chance of the big newspapers accepting the new regime. The largest groups have launched another legal challenge to it. They have also created an alternative system, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). This will not comply with the royal charter—not least as it will have fewer powers and will not be completely independent of the press—but the businesses behind it have deep enough pockets to pay eye-watering damages, should it come to that. They will settle with victims of abuse more readily than before, reckons Ms Enders, who also doubts that the smaller newspaper outfits will sign up to the royal charter system.
媒體分析家克萊爾恩德斯稱讓大報(bào)接受新的體系絕無(wú)勝算，只能是癡心妄想。最大的報(bào)紙團(tuán)體已經(jīng)掀起了一場(chǎng)法律的挑戰(zhàn)。他們也創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)可供替代的體系，即獨(dú)立新聞標(biāo)準(zhǔn)組織(IPSO)。這一體系不會(huì)遵守皇家特許狀—可以說(shuō)完全不遵守，因?yàn)槠錂?quán)利較少，且并不完全獨(dú)立于媒體—但是如果局面真的一發(fā)不可收拾，其背后的企業(yè)便可提供足夠的財(cái)力去償還慘不忍睹的損失?？巳R爾恩德斯承認(rèn)，相較過(guò)去，這會(huì)更加容易使誹謗受害者平息下來(lái)，但他也懷疑小的報(bào)紙會(huì)歸服于皇家特許狀。
The politicians' charter will find few or no takers, then—and will eventually crumple. That will happen slowly. The recognition panel, which will monitor proGREss, will not report on the system's success or failure until shortly before, or even after, the 2015 election. So there will be months of delay before another showdown between the press and MPs.
政客推出的特許狀幾乎沒(méi)有人愿意接受—因而最終會(huì)面臨崩潰的局面。這個(gè)過(guò)程會(huì)很遲緩。監(jiān)視此進(jìn)程的監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)籌備組不會(huì)把這一體系的成功與失敗于2015大選前后報(bào)道出來(lái)。因此，據(jù)媒體和國(guó)會(huì)議員之間攤牌還會(huì)有數(shù)個(gè)月的時(shí)間。
That suits many people just fine. Mr Cameron, wary of poisoning relations with the press and of Tory colleagues fiercely opposed to regulation, is happy to kick the matter into the long grass. Those keenest on regulation—the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties and Hacked Off, a group representing press victims—want to give the charter time to work. Neither Labour nor the Lib Dems plan to question its success until the recognition panel has reported. The tabloid owners and editors are the happiest of all to play for time: the longer the politicians' system is delayed, the more time IPSO has to win acceptance. Legal challenges might delay the process further.
很多人對(duì)這一法規(guī)都沒(méi)有異議。卡梅隆誠(chéng)惶誠(chéng)恐地調(diào)節(jié)著和媒介之間的病態(tài)關(guān)系，處理著保守黨對(duì)這一法規(guī)的激烈反對(duì)，于他而言，他非常樂(lè)意把這件事擱置一邊。對(duì)這一法規(guī)極度熱忱的黨派—工黨，自由民主黨和受害者們(媒體受害者群體)都想給皇家特許狀時(shí)間，讓其發(fā)揮作用。工黨和自由民主黨計(jì)劃直到監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)籌備組報(bào)道時(shí)，再對(duì)其成功與否發(fā)出質(zhì)疑。小報(bào)所有者和編輯則對(duì)這種時(shí)間游戲歡欣不已：政客推出的體系耽擱的越久，獨(dú)立新聞標(biāo)準(zhǔn)組織(IPSO)就越有勝算。法律的挑戰(zhàn)可能會(huì)進(jìn)一步延緩整個(gè)過(guò)程。
Eventually, probably after the next election, the failure of the royal charter will force politicians back to the drawing board. Most in Labour and the Lib Dems, along with a minority of Tories, might then look to statutory regulation of the press—a prospect even less acceptable to the newspapers than the royal charter. The battle has been postponed. It will be even more vicious when it rejoins.
最終，或許就在下次大選之后，皇家特許狀的失敗會(huì)迫使政客們從頭開始。大多數(shù)工黨、自由民主黨，以及托利黨黨羽的一少部分可能都會(huì)關(guān)注媒體的法定規(guī)則—這是對(duì)報(bào)紙而言比皇家特許狀更難以接受的未來(lái)。這場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)役被推后了，但當(dāng)其卷土重來(lái)之時(shí)，其殺傷力會(huì)更加劇烈。
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