2006年VOA标准英语-News Coverage Could Be Affected as More Foreign

By Bill Rodgers
Washington, DC
08 September 2006
 
watch Journalist at Risk

Jill Carroll while in captivity    
  
Foreign correspondents for western media outlets¹ have always faced dangers in the field. But recently western journalists have become high-value targets.  They have been subjected to kidnapping and even murder by terrorists or groups seeking publicity² for their causes.  This is especially true for western reporters working in the Middle East. 

Wars, insurgencies, and political upheaval³ are the kinds of events foreign correspondents traditionally cover.  They act as the eyes and ears for a wider public, often taking risks to get the story.

 
Frank Smyth
  
But ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, western reporters increasingly have become targets.  Frank Smyth is with the Committee to Protect Journalists, a non-governmental group that defends global press freedoms.

"I think you see journalists getting targeted largely because of their association with the United States, particularly in Middle Eastern countries which is something we haven't seen in the past and that's a new phenomenon and it is something we're concerned about,” sys Mr. Smyth. “The notion that journalists are neutral and journalists are there to report what's going on used to be accepted by a great many actors around the world.  And now there are some actors who see journalists as hostile merely by their presence in terms of the media they are representing." 

Daniel Pearl  
  
American reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and savagely⁴ beheaded in 2002 by terrorists in Pakistan.  Jill Carroll was kidnapped in Iraq early this year and held for more than two months by insurgents⁵ before being freed. 

Non-American reporters also have been targeted.  The kidnapping of an Italian journalist in 2005 in Iraq prompted widespread concern in her country. 

Olaf Wiig, after being released  
  
Most recently, Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig were kidnapped in Gaza and appeared on videos pleading for their lives.  They were freed after being forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint. Cameraman Wiig later talked about the possible repercussions⁶ of his ordeal⁷.

"My biggest concern, really, is that, as a result of what happened to us, foreign journalists will be discouraged from coming here to tell this story and that would be a great tragedy for the people of Palestine, and especially for the people of Gaza."

Frank Smyth says Wiig's concerns are justified⁸. "If it is becoming more dangerous for foreign correspondents to go out and report, they are going to be more likely to report one side of the story. And as a result Americans and others will get a distorted view of the news and I think that's unfortunate."

Murder and intimidation⁹ have long been problems for local journalists in developing countries. In Mexico, for example, attacks on newspapers are not uncommon¹⁰ when they publish articles about drug trafficking. 

In the Philippines, journalists were been trained to use guns to defend themselves following a series of attacks against reporters.

However, Frank Smyth of the Committee to Protect Journalists says the best way to stop all forms of repression¹¹ against journalists is to publicize incidents of abuse, no matter what the source.

"We need to start working with western media groups, with Arab media groups and other groups around the world to build solidarity¹² and defend the notion that journalists have the right to do their jobs. 

For example, we also defend a Sudanese cameraman with Al-Jazeera who was picked up in Pakistan who is now in Guantanamo being held by U.S. military forces for more than four years without being formally charged.  When we defend people like the Sudanese cameraman from Al-Jazeera it also sends the message to journalists around the world that journalists as a community need to defend themselves against any kind of actors, whether they are government or non-governmental, insurgents or not, that are encroaching or threatening press freedom."

Despite these efforts, journalism¹³ is bound to remain a dangerous profession, especially for foreign correspondents.

1 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

3 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

4 savagely   

adv. 野蛮地，残酷地

参考例句：

• The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。
• He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。

5 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

6 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

8 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

9 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

10 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

11 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

12 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

13 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。