2006年VOA标准英语-Small Group of Protesters Accuses New York Time

By Zulima Palacio, Cindy Saine
Washington, D.C.
05 July 2006
 
Watch Protest Report

Protestor  
  
A small group of about 15 people gathered in front of the Washington bureau of the New York Times Monday to protest the paper's publishing of what some call national security secrets. Editors from the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times have defended their decisions to print stories late last month that disclosed a secret Bush administration program that monitors international financial transactions. President Bush and Vice¹ President Dick Cheney have also singled out the New York Times for harsh criticism, as Cindy Saine reports.

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A handful of protesters vented² their anger at the New York Times in front of the paper's Washington, D.C. bureau. Last month, the Times reported on a secret Bush administration program to track terrorists through an international banking³ database. The paper came under criticism last year for reporting on the National Security Agency's efforts to monitor international phone calls without court warrants. The Times was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on that story, one of the highest honors in American journalism⁴.

 
Kristinn Taylor 
  
Kristinn Taylor of  FreeRepublic.com, a conservative grassroots organization, accused the New York Times of betraying national security secrets. "We want publisher Arthur Sulzburger, the Executive Editor Bill Keller and two reporters, Eric Lichtblau and James Risen to be prosecuted⁵ for treason for giving aid and comfort to the enemy in a time of war."

Several other major U.S. papers also published the story on the secret financial tracking program.  However, President Bush and a number of Republican lawmakers have focused on the New York Times, saying publication of classified information could endanger American lives. Bush said, "The disclosure of this program is disgraceful. We are at war with a bunch of people who want to harm the United States of America, and for people to leak that program and for a newspaper to publish it does great harm to the United States of America. What we were doing was the right thing."

Bill Keller   
  
New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller defended his paper's decision and the readers' right to know on the CBS program "Face the Nation."  "I think this is about a lot more than just the banking story," Keller said. "Since September 11th, editors have had to make some really, really tough choices about how we keep Americans informed about how their government is waging the war on terrorism. There have been a lot of occasions when we have decided⁶ to withhold⁷ information."

Keller has also said his paper did not tell terrorists anything they did not already know, saying they are well aware that governments are tracking their international financial transactions.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 vented   

表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He vented his frustration on his wife. 他受到挫折却把气发泄到妻子身上。
• He vented his anger on his secretary. 他朝秘书发泄怒气。

3 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

4 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

5 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。