2007年VOA标准英语-Kenya's President Rejects Media Bill

By Arjun Kohli
Nairobi
23 August 2007

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki Tuesday rejected a clause in a proposed media bill that would have limited press freedom. Arjun Kohli reports from VOA's East Africa Bureau in Nairobi the move was welcomed by Kenya's rights advocates.

Kenyan journalists demonstrate in Nairobi against clause in media bill, 15 Aug 2007

The president's action represents a major victory for journalists who had staged street demonstrations¹ for a week to protest the media bill. The provision the president rejected would have stripped the media of its right to keep sources confidential².

The chairwoman of the East African Foreign Correspondents Association, Tia Goldenberg, tells VOA the journalists' role as a government watchdog would be considerably⁴ hindered if the bill was passed.

"I think that particularly in Kenya most of the journalists rely on whistle blowers to reveal information on the various corruption⁶ scandals that have blocked this country," she said. "This is just a fundamental for journalists that we act as watchdogs of the government and we rely on people's information and even if that information is anonymous⁷ it should be to our discretion⁸ to use it or not and such a bill threatens that."

The parliamentary editor for the Nation Media group, Owino Opondo, said the media bill was highly controversial.

"In my view as a parliamentary editor I believe that it was a wise move because we see a president that listens to the voice of reason," said Opondo. "There was a lot of discontent which came with opposition⁹ to this particular bill not from the media fraternity but also from Kenyans, from the civil society and from lawyers, from people who had read the nasty amendment¹⁰ and it was not going to do any good to the president or the government."

The biggest battle between the Kenyan media and the government occurred last year when heavily armed police broke into a newspaper office, burned the day's issue, destroyed broadcasting equipment and carried away computers.

On an earlier occasion, the First Lady Lucy Kibaki stormed into a newspaper office and harassed¹¹ journalists on the eve of the World Press Freedom Day.

Still, journalists in Kenya say they feel they have greater freedom now than during the 24-year reign³ of President Daniel arap Moi when journalists were reported to have been kidnapped and tortured.

Opondo says greater media freedom allows journalists to uncover many cases of corruption.

"You realize issues such as the grand corruption that the nation media group has actually exposed, like the Anglo leasing," added Opondo. "This could not have happened if we did not have some semblance¹² of freedom in the media."

The Anglo Leasing scandal is considered a prime example of attempts by corrupt⁵ government officials to perpetrate fraud on the Kenyan taxpayer¹³ through non-delivery of goods and services and massive overpricing.

1 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

2 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

3 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

4 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

5 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 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。

8 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

11 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

12 semblance   

n.外貌，外表

参考例句：

• Her semblance of anger frightened the children.她生气的样子使孩子们感到害怕。
• Those clouds have the semblance of a large head.那些云的形状像一个巨大的人头。

13 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。