VOA标准英语2014--越南以说唱音乐播新闻

 

AS IT IS 2014-07-31 Vietnam Use Rap Music to Report News 越南以说唱音乐播新闻

The Vietnamese media industry is changing as it faces growing competition from the Internet.  One website has come up with a way to reach out to young people.  It uses rap music to report the news.

That was the rap version of a report about the end of football’s World Cup in Brazil.  To date, there have been nearly 20 editions of Rap New Plus.  Most of the programs include stories covered in Vietnam’s traditional media.

 Rap News Plus is published mainly on video sharing websites like YouTube.  Some videos have been watched over 500,000 times.

Le Quoc Minh works for Viet Nam Plus.  He says he wanted to find a way to make news appealing to people between the ages of 13 and 25.  He says that age group has lost interest in traditional news.

“We need to bring them something new, something interesting, something funny.  But the way we select topics and the way we present it is serious enough.  So I bring the seriousness to the young people using their own language, using their own taste, their music.  And that’s my concept.”

One of the rap reports was published after China set up an oil rig in waters claimed by Vietnam.  The incident led to increased tensions between the countries.  Twenty-five-year-old Vo Viet Phuong is one of three rappers heard on the report.  He says he uploaded the chorus of the report to the online music sharing platform Soundcloud.  He says people started downloading it for use as a ringtone on their wireless¹ devices.

Rapping the news is not a new idea.  But it is surprising in Vietnam because Viet Nam Plus operates under the official Vietnam News Agency, VNA.  The organization is known for its conservative way of thinking about news.

“Many others are very surprised when Viet Nam Plus has such a project because we belong to something really conservative, very mainstream².  We do not come from a company or something entertaining, but we produce something really entertaining, informative³ at the same time.” 

David Brown is a former United States diplomat⁴ and an expert on Vietnam.  He says most Vietnamese newspapers depend on some kind of government support.  But he adds that many profit-making publications are more likely to push the limits of the law.

“In general, any publication which is essentially⁵ profit-making they are looking at ways to cater⁶ to the things people want to read and they are interesting, even if there are no-go areas, such as shall we say a profound discussion of the relations between the Vietnamese and Chinese Communist parties or something like that.”

Right now, Rap News Plus does not make a profit.  Le Quoc Minh and his team pay for everything when making the videos.  However, the rappers do not get paid.  Mr. Minh says his main goal is to keep the reports truthful⁷.  He adds that businesses can support Rap News Plus, but the reports will not talk about any product names.

“At least we have to respect our listeners.  We are talking about the news, not the brands.  Even if they bring us the money but we cannot accept this kind of money.”

The Rap News Plus design is a groundbreaking step for the Vietnamese media.  The news provider now faces the test of keeping the content new and fresh for a younger audience.

1 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

2 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

3 informative   

adj.提供资料的，增进知识的

参考例句：

• The adverts are not very informative.这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。
• This intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative.这本引人入胜的书既有思想性又富知识性。

4 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

7 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。