Politicians v newspapers
政客與媒體
Hold the presses
媒體控制
The battle over newspaper regulation rolls into thelong grass
新聞法規(guī)之戰(zhàn)暫被擱置
“IT IS not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” That(quoting Winston Churchill) is one MP's verdict on Britain's battle over newspaper standards.His judgment, if grandiloquent, is accurate. The clash between politicians and newspapers,which began with the revelation in 2011 of widespread phone-hacking by a tabloid, appearsto have reached a conclusion. On October 30th the government approved a new regulatorysystem to discipline Fleet Streetmisbehaviour. But the hostilities have merely been postponed.
“那不是末日的開端，而可能是開端的終結。”這是某國會議員引用丘吉爾的名言對英國報紙標準做出的結論。如果極力夸大事態(tài)的嚴重性，他的論斷則恰如其分。從2011年沸沸揚揚的竊聽門事件開始，政客與報紙之間的對抗似乎總算有了一個了結。10月30日，為了督管英國報業(yè)的不當舉措，政府通過了一個新的監(jiān)管體系。但這無非只是推后了雙方的戰(zhàn)爭。
The new system is the product of months of debate and compromise. Reacting to the phone-hacking scandal, the government commissioned a judge to investigate press standards. Aftera tortuous, year-long inquiry, Lord Justice Levesonrecommended a tough new regulatorbacked by legislation.
這一新的體系是數(shù)月以來辯論和妥協(xié)的產(chǎn)物。作為對竊聽門事件的回應，政府委任一位法官去調查媒體標準問題。經(jīng)歷了一些兜圈子、耗時一年的調查后，英國最高法院大法官萊維森③提議要建立一個強硬的監(jiān)管體系，這一提議獲法律支持。
In March the three main political parties responded by proposing a royal charter—an ancientdevice seen as less offensive to a free press than statute would be. The charter provides fora regulator as well as a “recognition panel”, free from press or political control, to police itsindependence. The regulator could impose fines of up to ￡1m ($1.6m) on newspapers andinsist on prominent corrections. The charter also exposes newspapers that refuse to join theregulatory regime to punitive damages if cases are brought against them.
3月，三個主要的政治團體提出皇家特許狀作為回應—這是很久以來對自由媒體采取的策略中，較成文法而言攻擊性較小的法案。特許狀提出要建立監(jiān)管體系以及監(jiān)管機構籌備組來管轄報業(yè)獨立，而這一機構既不受制于媒體，也不受制于政治團體。它可向報業(yè)征收高達100萬歐元(合160萬美元)的罰款，且有權要求報業(yè)對報道內容作出重大更正。特許狀也曝光了那些拒絕加入監(jiān)管體系的報紙，若案件與其不利，則有權對其征收損害性賠償。
The large newspaper groups are having none of it. They claim the royal charter amounts togovernment meddling. On October 30th judges struck down their bid to delay its introduction.Hours later the royal charter received the queen's assent. Politicians declared their jobcomplete.
大的報紙團體拒不買賬。他們聲稱皇家特許狀就相當于政府干預。10月30日，法官否決了他們企圖延遲特許狀問世的訴訟。幾個小時之后，皇家特許狀獲得了女王的應允。政客們也表示他們的任務圓滿完成。
Ministers hope that editors and owners will sign up to the new system in order to avoid beinghit with punitive damages. Some MPs think an ongoing news story will help push them into line.The trial of Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, two former editors charged with authorisingillegal reporting methods, began on October 28th. On October 30th a jury was told that threeformer journalists had pleaded guilty to charges of phone-hacking.
部長們希望編輯和報刊所有者為了避免被索要損害性賠償，會選擇簽署加盟新的體系。一些國會議員也認為正在進行的報業(yè)整改有助于幫他們回到正軌。10月28日，兩位前編輯利百加·布魯克斯和安迪.科爾森因批準非法報道渠道而被法院起訴。10月30日，陪審團被告知三位前記者對監(jiān)聽電話的指控供認不諱。
That is wishful thinking. Claire Enders, a media analyst, says there is “zero” chance of the bignewspapers accepting the new regime. The largest groups have launched another legalchallenge to it. They have also created an alternative system, the Independent PressStandards Organisation (IPSO). This will not comply with the royal charter—not least as it willhave fewer powers and will not be completely independent of the press—but the businessesbehind it have deep enough pockets to pay eye-watering damages, should it come to that. Theywill settle with victims of abuse more readily than before, reckons Ms Enders, who also doubtsthat the smaller newspaper outfits will sign up to the royal charter system.
媒體分析家克萊爾恩德斯稱讓大報接受新的體系絕無勝算，只能是癡心妄想。最大的報紙團體已經(jīng)掀起了一場法律的挑戰(zhàn)。他們也創(chuàng)造了一個可供替代的體系，即獨立新聞標準組織(IPSO)。這一體系不會遵守皇家特許狀—可以說完全不遵守，因為其權利較少，且并不完全獨立于媒體—但是如果局面真的一發(fā)不可收拾，其背后的企業(yè)便可提供足夠的財力去償還慘不忍睹的損失。克萊爾恩德斯承認，相較過去，這會更加容易使誹謗受害者平息下來，但他也懷疑小的報紙會歸服于皇家特許狀。
The politicians' charter will find few or no takers, then—and will eventually crumple. That willhappen slowly. The recognition panel, which will monitor progress, will not report on thesystem's success or failure until shortly before, or even after, the 2015 election. So there willbe months of delay before another showdown between the press and MPs.
政客推出的特許狀幾乎沒有人愿意接受—因而最終會面臨崩潰的局面。這個過程會很遲緩。監(jiān)視此進程的監(jiān)管機構籌備組不會把這一體系的成功與失敗于2015大選前后報道出來。因此，據(jù)媒體和國會議員之間攤牌還會有數(shù)個月的時間。
That suits many people just fine. Mr Cameron, wary of poisoning relations with the press andof Tory colleagues fiercely opposed to regulation, is happy to kick the matter into the longgrass. Those keenest on regulation—the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties and Hacked Off,a group representing press victims—want to give the charter time to work. Neither Labour northe Lib Dems plan to question its success until the recognition panel has reported. The tabloidowners and editors are the happiest of all to play for time: the longer the politicians' system isdelayed, the more time IPSO has to win acceptance. Legal challenges might delay the processfurther.
很多人對這一法規(guī)都沒有異議�？仿≌\惶誠恐地調節(jié)著和媒介之間的病態(tài)關系，處理著保守黨對這一法規(guī)的激烈反對，于他而言，他非常樂意把這件事擱置一邊。對這一法規(guī)極度熱忱的黨派—工黨，自由民主黨和受害者們(媒體受害者群體)都想給皇家特許狀時間，讓其發(fā)揮作用。工黨和自由民主黨計劃直到監(jiān)管機構籌備組報道時，再對其成功與否發(fā)出質疑。小報所有者和編輯則對這種時間游戲歡欣不已：政客推出的體系耽擱的越久，獨立新聞標準組織(IPSO)就越有勝算。法律的挑戰(zhàn)可能會進一步延緩整個過程。
Eventually, probably after the next election, the failure of the royal charter will force politiciansback to the drawing board. Most in Labour and the Lib Dems, along with a minority of Tories,might then look to statutory regulation of the press—a prospect even less acceptable to thenewspapers than the royal charter. The battle has been postponed. It will be even morevicious when it rejoins.
最終，或許就在下次大選之后，皇家特許狀的失敗會迫使政客們從頭開始。大多數(shù)工黨、自由民主黨，以及托利黨黨羽的一少部分可能都會關注媒體的法定規(guī)則—這是對報紙而言比皇家特許狀更難以接受的未來。這場戰(zhàn)役被推后了，但當其卷土重來之時，其殺傷力會更加劇烈。
1.begin with 以…開始，從…開始
例句:To download library packages for you,Composer needs to know where to find thesepackages to begin with.
要下載庫包，Composer首先需要知道在哪里可以找到這些軟件包。
2.appear to 似乎
例句:On Capitol Hill, senators today appear to view the matter as something of a tempest in ateapot.
美國國會的參議員們今天似乎把這個問題小題大做了。
3.as well as 以及
例句:There are one-room flats as well as two-room flats.
有一室一套的，也有兩室一套的。
4.refuse to 拒絕
例句:Local authorities are likely to refuse to hire facilities to unrecognised martial artsorganisations.
當?shù)氐闹鞴軝C構可能會拒絕向非官方的武術組織出租設備。