PBS高端访谈:用照片讲述无情大火

JUDY WOODRUFF: It is said that a picture can speak 1,000 words. Photojournalist Marcus Yam looks for images to tell the tale of heart-wrenching moments. Here is his Brief But Spectacular take on what we learn from what we see.

MARCUS YAM, Photographer: I am a natural busybody. For my school projects, I would just drive up to farms and make my long way up these long driveways and just, hey, how's it going? Can I come take pictures? In most situations that I look in, most people want somebody to talk to. And you're there to listen to what they have to say, you know, and, in some ways, comfort them for their loss. I have been to almost every major wildfire in California, including the biggest one, called the Thomas Fire. The thing I heard on the radio made me realize that this was unstoppable, that firefighters were telling each other that: We're out of units. You're on your own. Like, we just don't have enough resources to send your way. And that's when I know things were getting out of control. At one point, I waited on top of a hill, waiting for the fire to come to me, and I waited a little too long. And I remember having to drive through this, like, wall of flame with my car. And I can feel the heat just, like, searing my skin, inside that car that was protected by all that metal and glass and air conditioning. The common idea that people have is that the news media is just running around taking pictures, reporting from wildfires without any sensitivity. But, in reality, we're just trying to do our jobs, trying to get as much information about the conditions of the fire, how far it spread and all that stuff.

I was at the Erskine Fire in Lake Isabella, and I came across this one home that was getting surrounded by fire. And it had this tattered¹ American flag. I jumped out of the vehicle and took a photo of that, and I moved on. And I didn't think much of it. The homeowner for that home was actually nearby, saw me do that, and thought less of me. He actually ended up following our coverage² for the rest of the fire, looked up the work that we did, and wrote me this beautiful letter. Dear Marcus Yam, I stood a few feet from you when you took this picture of my home. I thought to myself, another vulture sensationalizing on people's misery³. After seeing this photograph and looking at your portfolio⁴, I was wrong. You portray⁵ human emotion without all the makeup⁶ and glamour⁷. You have my respect. My home withstood the test that night, and Old Glory still waves. Today, I replaced that tattered flag with a new and shiny one. I would like you to take care of that old flag for me. Sincerely, Darl Snyder. My name is Marcus Yam. This is my Brief But Spectacular take on uncovering the unknown.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And a reminder⁸ of the important role that photojournalists play. You can find additional Brief But Spectacular episodes on our Web site at PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：据说，一张图片就足以诉说千言万语。新闻摄影记者马库斯·炎一直在努力捕捉可以讲述让人揪心时刻的照片。今天的《简短而精彩》中，他将分享我们看到的一切可以教会我们什么。

马库斯·炎，新闻摄影记者：我天生就是闲不住的人。在学校做项目的时候，我会驱车前往许多农场，不惜长途跋涉，那结果如何呢？我拍到照片了吗？大多数情况下，我发现人们只想有人可以听他们诉说而已。我去那里仿佛就是为了听他们想说的话，某种程度上，还要安抚他们，让他们不要为失去的一切感到难过。加州几乎每场大火我都去过，包括最大的一场——托马斯大火。电台广播让我意识到火灾是无可避免的，而消防员们也让自己的战友们明白：救火时，我们只能各顾各的，只能利用有限的资源来应对眼前的大火，顾不得别的。也正是那时候，我才发现火势是由不得人的。我曾经在山顶上坐等火势向我袭来，但我等得有些久了。我记得曾经驱车在火墙里穿梭。我能感受到那股灼热，似乎要将我烤焦，虽然我坐在车里，虽然车子由金属、玻璃和空调设施保护。人们都有一个共识——媒体工作者就是跑来跑去地拍照片，即便报道火灾，也不带任何情绪。但实际上，我们只是想履行本职工作而已，只是想尽力获取有关火势的最多信息，比如火势已蔓延多远等等。

我见证过伊莎贝拉湖的厄斯金大火，我恰好遇到了一个被熊熊大火缠绕的房子。美国国旗都被烧得支离破碎。我从车上跳下来，照了一张照片，然后又继续开车了。我当时没多想。那个房子的主人当时就在我旁边，他看见了我的举动，腹诽了我。实际上，他一直跟进着我们关于火势的所有报道，他审视了我们的工作，然后给了写了一封温暖的信。亲爱的马库斯·炎，您拍摄这张照片时，我站在离您几英尺的地方。我当时思忖着：又是一个贪婪的人，想要踩着别人的悲痛制造爆炸性新闻。但在看到照片和您写的报道后，我知道自己错了。您只是描绘人类的感情，没有做丝毫的掩饰。我很尊敬您。我的房子经受住了那一晚余火的考验，美国国旗依然迎风飘扬。

今天，我把那面支离破碎的国旗替换成了崭新的一面。我希望您能一直为我守护这面国旗。祝好，达拉斯·奈德。我是马库斯·炎，这是我本期分享的新闻工作者不为人所知的一面的《简短而精彩》。

朱迪·伍德拉夫：您的分享也提醒了我新闻工作者的重要性。要观看《简短而精彩》的其他期节目，请前往PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief。

1 tattered   

adj.破旧的，衣衫破的

参考例句：

• Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
• Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

4 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

5 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

6 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

7 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

8 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。