VOA标准英语2014--Top Pakistani News Channel, Intelligence Agency Standoff Sparks Debate

 

Top Pakistani News Channel, Intelligence Agency Standoff Sparks Debate

Pakistan’s biggest news channel, Geo News, says its broadcasts are being blocked by cable operators in close to 90 percent of the country, despite having apologized to Pakistan's intelligence agency after accusing it of plotting an attack on a prominent GEO journalist. 

Amnesty International says attempts to take Geo TV off the air represents a serious attack on freedom of expression in Pakistan.  In an open letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the human rights group called for an investigation¹ into the country’s intelligence agency, ISI, over its alleged² involvement in journalist attacks.  

The recent standoff between GEO News, one of the strongest media players in Pakistan, and ISI began after Hamid Mir, a prominent journalist and Geo anchor, was shot at six times. 

Mir spoke³ to VOA’s Ayaz Gul in Islamabad about ISI’s alleged tactics to block Geo.

"It is not only the freedom of the media, but the future of investigative journalism⁴ in Pakistan is also at stake," he said. "But I think that the majority of the professional journalists, majority of the working journalists they have not given up. I have not given up."

Geo accused ISI and its chief of plotting the attack on Mir.  This provoked public anger against the TV channel,  and rival channels also accused Geo of irresponsible reporting.  Geo later apologized to ISI but the issue has not been resolved. 

While journalists continue to face threats from different quarters in Pakistan, experts say Pakistani news media also needs to put its house in order.

"Basically it is the owners who are finalizing⁵ editorial policies of their channels," said Abid Suleri, a social policy analyst⁶ in Pakistan. "And if they decide not to enter into this blame game and this accusation⁷ and counter accusation, obviously one can see some sort of peace and some sanity⁸.  But unfortunately that is not going to happen."

Mir also deplores⁹ what he sees as a lack of journalistic ethics¹⁰.

"There is no code of ethics for the media in Pakistan and that is why some non-professional people in this field are taking advantage of that," he said.

Those who attacked Mir are still on the loose, an irony¹¹ experts say in the midst of this ongoing¹² debate over press freedom.

"It is necessary for the state of Pakistan to come clean on this," Moeed Yusuf, who is with Washington’s Institute of Peace. "And then, of course, whatever the law allows in terms of actions against Geo, if it comes down to some extreme measure that is permissible¹³, I don’t think that’s a smart move simply because the state hasn’t come clean as yet."

Mir says despite all the troubles and threats to his life, he will not leave the country and continue to work as an investigative journalist.

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 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。

5 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

8 sanity   

n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确

参考例句：

• I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。

9 deplores   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He often deplores his past sins. 他经常痛悔自己过去的罪恶。 来自辞典例句
• Regretting the lack of spontaneity and real sensuousness in other contemporary poets, he deplores in Tennyson. 他对于和他同时代的诗人缺乏自发性和真实的敏感，感到惋惜，他对坦尼森感到悲痛。 来自辞典例句

10 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

11 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

12 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。

13 permissible   

adj.可允许的，许可的

参考例句：

• Is smoking permissible in the theatre?在剧院里允许吸烟吗？
• Delay is not permissible,even for a single day.不得延误，即使一日亦不可。