VOA慢速英语20060220a

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Media Group Details Attacks on the World Press in 2005By Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Monday, February 20, 2006

This is Shep O'Neal with the VOA Special English Development Report.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has released its yearly report on press freedoms around the world. The report describes hundreds of cases of media repression², threats and other attacks on the press last year in more than fifty countries.

The group says one hundred twenty-five journalists were jailed for doing their jobs. And forty-seven were killed, down from fifty-seven the year before. Most were murdered. The report says about ninety percent of the killings⁴ went unpunished.


CPJ report on press attacks in 2005

The group says murders of journalists in Lebanon, Libya and Iraq have changed reporting in the Middle East. Iraq is described as the deadliest conflict for reporters since the group began in nineteen eighty-one. Twenty-two journalists were killed in Iraq last year.

In Latin America, the group says self-censorship is widespread in areas of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. It says crime and dishonesty are strong and government agencies weak in those areas. Fewer reporters are willing to take personal risks.

In Cuba, twenty-four journalists were jailed last year. But the report says media in China remain the most firmly controlled in the world. It says thirty-two journalists were jailed there.

Last week, Foreign Ministry⁵ spokesman Qin Gang defended China's restrictions⁶ on Internet use. He said it is normal for countries to try to guide the healthy and orderly development of the Internet.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says press freedoms suffered last year in Africa. Fifteen reporters were jailed in Eritrea and thirteen were seized in Ethiopia. The report says government repression also continued in Cameroon, Gambia and Zimbabwe.

In Eurasia, the media group says independent reporting has been undermined in nations such as Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It says the cooperation of their leaders in the American-led war on terrorism has played a part. The group says the situation has made it easier for those leaders to justify⁷ repressive media policies in the name of security.

There was some good news for press freedom. Journalists were freed from prison in several nations, including Burma and Yemen. Community radio stations have improved freedom of information in some areas of Asia. And the Philippine government is taking some steps to deal with killing³ of reporters.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. Our reports are on the Web at www.unsv.com. This is Shep O'Neal.

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 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。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？