伊拉克博客在网络中畅所欲言

Iraqi Bloggers Revel¹ in Free Speech

伊拉克博客在网络中畅所欲言

 

There are new voices in Iraq, bursting with opinions that once were only whispered in private. These voices of private citizens who have discovered the Internet as a means of global communication. These people are writing personal Internet "blog" journals that are read and reacted to both inside Iraq and around the world. And bloggers are excited.

 

One blogger: It offers you an opportunity to communicate with people. There are no censors³.

 

Another blogger: The right of the people to express their discontent is great! That is freedom that wasn't available before.

 

A third blogger: This is a great opportunity to be like the bridge between two cultures.

 

Rebecca McKinnon at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society says these bloggers provide their readers with an alternative Iraqi perspective.

 

Rebecca McKinnon: We feel that these web logs provide a human perspective from the ground that is unique and different from what you are going to get reading a newspaper article or watching a TV report about what's happening.

 

A Baghdad resident named "Omar" says he wants the world to know that the situation in his country is in some ways better than what is often portrayed⁵ by the conventional media.

 

Omar: The news outlets⁷ bring bad news always: murders, a poor economy, mistakes, we wanted to tell the other part of the story. It's not all black and it's not all white. We want people to get the right picture!

 

Another Baghdad blogger, "Khalid," says he tries to give Americans and other westerners a view of Iraq that is unfiltered.

 

Khalid: When I watch CNN or listen to any Western media, it's like another reality. So I want those people everywhere to know that they're not being told the truth. And most bloggers who write in English have started writing because they don't feel that the media is doing their job right.

 

"Raed" is an Iraqi living in Jordan who blogs about the situation back home. He says one of his main purposes in writing is to tell others, especially in the West, that Iraqis don't want or need outside "management" in rebuilding their country.

 

Raed: We want to prove more and more that Iraqis are capable of administrating their country by themselves, they can handle the reconstruction⁸ of the country and they have very good experience in managing their country by themselves and solving all of the problems. This is one of the most important messages when they read our blog.

 

For people writing blogs in Iraq, the freedom to express themselves about political and social matters can come with a price. Because of the ongoing⁹ turmoil¹⁰ in the country, putting one's full name on an Internet or opinion page can bring on violent reprisals¹¹. That's why it is customary for Iraqi writers like "Omar" to use only a first name.

 

Omar: I need to be anonymous¹². I need to keep myself safe and secure. And I should not reveal my name because I could be targeted by the terrorists.

 

Much of the blogging in Iraq is directed toward people outside the country. Because of that, English-language blogs outnumber those in Arabic by ten-to-one. Analyst¹³ Eric Larson at the Rand Corporation in California says it is not easy for these writers to reach fellow Iraqis via the Internet.

 

Eric Larson: Most of the statistics that come out of Iraq suggest that something like only one percent of the population actually have access to the Internet, although there is growth in the number of Internet cafes.

 

While one percent seems small, it's still a tenfold increase since last year, according to some observers. But as Internet use in Iraq grows, the influence of bloggers within the country is also expected to increase and bolster¹⁴ an open, democratic society. Professor Tom Lansner of New York's Columbia University agrees.

 

Tom Lansner: It's broadening the conversation, and that's very, very important in any open society, that many voices are heard. And I think that we will be learning much more from people who typically do not have access to modern communications. And we'll be having a much more two-way conversation.

 

According to Friends of Democracy, a non-profit organization training Iraqi bloggers and registering hundreds of new websites, a newly developed Arabic software is opening doors across the Middle East. Judging by the requests Friends of Democracy is receiving from the region, the strategy of promoting democracy through the Internet appears to be working.

 

For focus, I’m Jeffrey Young.

 

注释：

censor² [5sensE(r)] n.（新闻、电影等的）审查员，检查员

discontent [5diskEn5tent] n. 不满

alternative [C:l5tE:nEtiv] adj. 可选择的

portray⁴ [pC:5trei] v. 描绘

outlet⁶ [5autlet] n. 出口，出路

unfiltered [7Qn5filtEd] adj. 未滤过的

ongoing [5Cn^EuiN] adj. 正在进行的

turmoil [5tE:mCil] n. 骚动，混乱

customary [5kQstEmEri] adj. 习惯的，惯例的

anonymous [E5nCnimEs] adj. 匿名的

outnumber [aut5nQmbE] vt. 数目超过，比……多

via [5vaiE] prep. 经，通过

tenfold [5tenfEuld] adj. 十倍的

1 revel   

vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢

参考例句：

• She seems to revel in annoying her parents.她似乎以惹父母生气为乐。
• The children revel in country life.孩子们特别喜欢乡村生活。

2 censor   

n./vt.审查，审查员；删改

参考例句：

• The film has not been viewed by the censor.这部影片还未经审查人员审查。
• The play was banned by the censor.该剧本被查禁了。

3 censors   

删剪（书籍、电影等中被认为犯忌、违反道德或政治上危险的内容）( censor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The censors eviscerated the book to make it inoffensive to the President. 审查员删去了该书的精华以取悦于总统。
• The censors let out not a word. 检察官一字也不发。

4 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？

5 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

7 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》

8 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

9 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

10 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

11 reprisals   

n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They did not want to give evidence for fear of reprisals. 他们因为害怕报复而不想作证。
• They took bloody reprisals against the leaders. 他们对领导进行了血腥的报复。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

13 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

14 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。