PBS高端访谈:半岛电台首次占据美国有线电视市场

 　　JUDY WOODRUFF: What must Al-Jazeera do to win that fight?

　　We explore the challenges ahead with Deborah Potter, a former reporter for CBS News and CNN who is now executive director of News Lab, a resource center for television and radio news organizations. And Philip Seib, he's director of the Center on Public Diplomacy¹ and professor of journalism² and international relations at the University of Southern California. He is also author of a number of books, including "Al-Jazeera English."

　　Welcome to the NewsHour to both of you.

　　Deborah Potter, let me start with you. So what does Al-Jazeera America bring to the news landscape in this country that is not already here?

　　DEBORAH POTTER, NewsLab: Well, they're promising³ to bring almost 24-hour live news, so no taped programs late at night, repeats and so forth⁴, so live fresh news through the day and through the evening, that is sort of straightforward⁵ and hard -hitting. They promise depth.

　　And they promise not the kind of thing that you see on some of the cable networks, lots of opinion and shout-fests and so forth. That's what they say they will be delivering.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Phil Seib, is that different from what exists in the landscape right now? I guess we could argue about what is out there, but how do you see what they bring?

　　PHILIP SEIB, Center on Public Diplomacy: Well, I think they're counting on there being an audience for kind of old-fashioned journalism, hard-edged journalism.

　　I expect they will do a lot of investigative work for and stay away from the Lindsay Lohan escapades and things like that.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, you have written a book about Al-Jazeera English. Of course, they're connected, same owner, the Al-Jazeera media network.

　　Tell us a little bit about who the owners are. And we know they're based in the Persian Gulf⁶ kingdom of Qatar. Who are they and what is their connection to Al-Jazeera America?

　　PHILIP SEIB: Well, there's a board directors for the Al-Jazeera parent company, which has Al-Jazeera Arabic, Al-Jazeera English, Al-Jazeera America.

　　There's an Al-Jazeera station in Sarajevo. They have got sports channels and children's channels. And it's basically a function of the royal family of Qatar, which is Al-Jazeera America has a financial plan that everybody else in the business is going to envy. There's lots and lots and lots of money.

　　And so if Al-Jazeera America wants to send a reporting team to some obscure place, they don't have to worry too much about budget. And that should give them a leg up also in their reporting efforts.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Is it pretty much unlimited⁷ budget, spending?

　　DEBORAH POTTER: It sounds like it. These are very deep pockets that they're connected to.

　　And they're certainly counting on that, because they're going on the air with almost no commercials. About six minutes an hour is what they say they will have. That suggests that they either haven't been able to line up very many sponsors or that they really want to keep down to differentiate⁸ themselves again from what is already available.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Deborah Potter, questions clearly have been raised about how much control, editorial control on the part of the owners, whether there should be any concerns about editorial freedom on the part of this channel.

　　DEBORAH POTTER: Well, I will certainly say that the journalists who have gone to work there have been promised editorial freedom.

　　They're not expecting to be messed with from the Middle East. There were some issues when Al-Jazeera English launched. Some prominent people left, saying that they had had their stories and their copy dictated⁹ from across the ocean. And I think that maybe the channel learned something from that and recognized that they got a black eye, and they don't want to do that again.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Phil Seib, how do you see this question of editorial freedom?

　　PHILIP SEIB: I agree with Deborah about that.

　　I think Al-Jazeera in Qatar knows that the -- to succeed in the United States, they have to clearly be independent. And if there's any controversy¹⁰ about meddling¹¹ by the people who hold the money, then I think that is going to be a big issue.

　　It's very important to distinguish between Al-Jazeera America and Al-Jazeera Arabic. Al-Jazeera Arabic is in the midst of all the politics in that region. I don't think that is going to happen with Al-Jazeera America. I think that has been set up to be a news organization that represents not only the Al-Jazeera brand, but the Qatar brand. So, they want it to be really high quality.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: And I think we saw in the last few days there was a -- there's been some reporting about a memo¹² written by one Al-Jazeera official worried that Al-Jazeera America was trying to Americanize Al-Jazeera.

　　DEBORAH POTTER: Right, and be too independent.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So push and pull in both...

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Yes. Go ahead.

　　PHILIP SEIB: That same issue came up with Al-Jazeera English, that people at the Al-Jazeera Arabic channel were afraid that they were going to soften¹³ the image of Al-Jazeera.

　　But these things work out. And I think that the Al-Jazeera Arabic, Al-Jazeera English and Al-Jazeera America will be able to coexist quite nicely.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Deborah, we reported that at this point they are only seen in about half or maybe a little less than half of American homes because of the cable -- limited cable access at this point.

　　How much of a challenge is that?

　　DEBORAH POTTER: Oh, it's enormous.

　　I think even those homes that get Al-Jazeera America today, many of them don't know it, because they never found Current to begin with, which was the channel that Al-Jazeera bought in order to put this on the air. So they have both a penetration¹⁴ issue, which is they need to be available in more homes, and then they have to become visible to those homes in which they are available.

　　So it's a two-step process. It's going to take time.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: How tough is it to get on those cable delivery systems, Phil Seib?

　　PHILIP SEIB: Well, pretty difficult.

　　I know I live in Pasadena, California, and I can't get Al-Jazeera America on a cable channel. And I think part of it is, there's a bit of a political hangover from the early days of the Bush administration, when Al-Jazeera was greatly vilified¹⁵. And some of these cable carriers I think are still a little scared of that.

　　But if Al-Jazeera America starts delivering a very good product, I think there will be public demand for it and eventually people will have the opportunity to choose whether they want to watch it or not.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, what is the measurement that you will be judging them by, Deborah? What should we look for from them?

　　DEBORAH POTTER: Well, I think they're not judging themselves based on the size of their audience, at least from the get-go. So, in a way, I think that is sort of not the relevant measure.

　　My judgment¹⁶ would be on the quality of the journalism. They certainly have invested a great deal in that. They have hired some very good journalists, some of whom we both have worked with over the years. And they have clearly made promises to them that they're going to be allowed to do serious, hard-hitting, in-depth coverage¹⁷ that is not available anywhere else, that will be covering undercovered communities in the United States, for example.

　　And if they deliver on that promise, I think, as Phil says, there will be a demand for it. How much of a demand, I don't know, because one of the challenges is that Americans say they want in-depth, hard-hitting, serious news, but they don't actually watch it. So, that will be something we will have to keep an eye on.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: What will you be watching for, Phil Seib?

　　PHILIP SEIB: Well, I think the seriousness of the journalism is important, because what the people back in Doha want, I believe, is for the people in the United States to be talking about Al-Jazeera America, to be saying to each other, did you see that story last night?

　　Al-Jazeera, since its inception¹⁸, has wanted to be a major player in the international news business. And the fact is, you cannot be a major player unless you have a U.S. audience. So, that's why they spent so much money to buy up Current TV and why they're spending so much money now to get on the air. They want that influence. They want to be looked up to. They want to be seen as a major player, just like CNN and the BBC.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Philip Seib, Deborah Potter, thank you both.

　　DEBORAH POTTER: Thank you.

　　PHILIP SEIB: You're welcome.

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 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。

3 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

6 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

7 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

8 differentiate   

vi.(between)区分；vt.区别；使不同

参考例句：

• You can differentiate between the houses by the shape of their chimneys.你可以凭借烟囱形状的不同来区分这两幢房子。
• He never learned to differentiate between good and evil.他从未学会分辨善恶。

9 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

12 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

13 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

14 penetration   

n.穿透，穿人，渗透

参考例句：

• He is a man of penetration.他是一个富有洞察力的人。
• Our aim is to achieve greater market penetration.我们的目标是进一步打入市场。

15 vilified   

v.中伤，诽谤( vilify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was vilified in newspapers. 他在报纸上受到了诽谤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She was vilified by the press for her controversial views. 因她持有异议，新闻界对她横加挞伐。 来自互联网

16 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

17 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。

18 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。