2006年VOA标准英语-Relationship Between US Government and Press is

By Andre de Nesnera
Washington, DC
12 December 2006
 
watch US Press report

 
This week marks the 215th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, which grants specific political privileges to American citizens. One important section of the Bill of Rights, known as the First Amendment¹, protects the freedom of the press.  It's often a source of tension between the press and those it reports on -- especially governmental bodies. Senior Correspondent André de Nesnera looks at the uneasy relationship between the news media and the U.S. government. 

The Bill of Rights is the name given to the first 10 amendments² to the U.S. Constitution. The document was ratified³ on December 15th, 1791 and it contained guarantees of rights and liberties left out of the Constitution. The first amendment states -- among other things -- that "Congress shall make no law… abridging⁴ the freedom of speech, or of the press."

Analysts⁵ say in a democracy, and more specifically in the United States, the role of the press is two-fold: to inform the public and, more importantly, to act as a watchdog on government activities.

 
Ben Bradlee
Ben Bradlee, former editor-in-chief of the Washington Post newspaper, says the relationship between the government and the press is adversarial, if not confrontational⁶. "You will never get a reporter to say that the relationships with the government are good. Because if he did, he would probably be lying and the government would be treating him too well. They don't have to treat us all that well. They just have to stay out of the way."

But the government does not always, as Bradlee says, stay out of the way of the press. Sometimes it takes the news media to court to stop publication of material it believes to be sensitive and threatening national security.

In mid-June 1971, the New York Times, followed by other newspapers such as the Washington Post, began publishing what became known as "The Pentagon Papers" -- the Defense⁷ Department's top-secret history of U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

The Nixon administration, citing national security concerns, obtained a federal court order stopping the Times from continuing to publish the series. The newspaper appealed the decision. And in a landmark⁸ ruling, the Supreme⁹ Court said the government did not adequately prove that publication of these documents would harm the country's national security. And so the press was permitted to continue publishing the documents.

Some analysts say there will always be a tug¹⁰ of war between the press and the government over national security.

Stephen Hess is with the Brookings Institution. He says, "Journalists shouldn't release, classically, the time that a warship¹¹ is leaving the dock full of American troops going off to fight, which could be read by, seen by, an adversary¹². So a government has secrets, the press has an obligation, to the best of their ability, to find out what's going on, and in our country, actually, chooses not to run these secrets very often. Many people don't realize the degree to which our free press actually does choose to retain government secrets of which it becomes the judge of: should we print this or not?"

For his part, Christopher Simpson, a Journalism¹³ professor at American University, says most countries, including the U.S. government, tend to lean heavily in favor of national security concerns. "They are worried that if they make one little mistake, that something really bad will happen or someone could lose their life. And these concerns are not irrational¹⁴, these are reasonable concerns."

But many journalists, including Ben Bradlee, say reporters pose no threat to the country's national security. "I'm 85,” says Bradley. “I've been in this business a long time and I cannot recall a case which we published which I could honestly say threatened the national security. First of all, I wouldn't do it if it threatened it."

Experts say in a democracy, there will always be a very delicate balance to be struck between, on the one hand, the needs of the government to protect the security of the state and, on the other hand, the needs of the media to be free, open and capable of criticizing the government.

1 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。

2 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

3 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

4 abridging   

节略( abridge的现在分词 )； 减少； 缩短； 剥夺（某人的）权利（或特权等）

参考例句：

• He's currently abridging his book. 他正在对他的书进行删节。
• First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech." （美国宪法）第一修正案规定议会不应该通过减损（公民）言论自由的法律。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 confrontational   

adj.挑衅的；对抗的

参考例句：

• Fans love rappers partly because they strike such a confrontational pose. 乐迷热爱这些饶舌艺人一定程度上是因为他们所采取的那种战斗姿态。 来自互联网
• You prefer a non confrontational approach when it comes to resolving disputes. 面对争端，你不喜欢采用对抗性的手段来解决。 来自互联网

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

9 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

10 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

11 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

12 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

13 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。

14 irrational   

adj.无理性的，失去理性的

参考例句：

• After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。
• There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。