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发表于 2012-4-30 04:47:23
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终于找到英文版了,5F正解。
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VOX POPULI: The weeklies may be vulgar, but they serve a purpose
Of all the ads hanging in commuter trains, the most popular must be those of the weekly magazines. The eye-catching headlines are an interesting way to while away a few seconds for passengers. If, after reading the headlines (with a grain of salt) and imagining what the stories say, passengers still want to buy the magazines, then the publishers are happy.
Pioneers of the Japanese weekly magazines Shukan Asahi and Sunday Mainichi both marked their 90th anniversaries on April 2. The Asahi Shimbun, which learned that Mainichi Shimbun was going to publish a weekly magazine in the spring of 1922, revamped an every -10-days magazine that it had launched a month earlier into a weekly and launched it the same day as the Mainichi publication.
Since then, numerous weekly magazines have come and gone. The late 1950s and early 1960s were the golden age of the weeklies, with publishing houses such as Shukan Shincho, Shukan Bunshun and Shukan Gendai joining the market. Following the rise and fall of women’s magazines and photo magazines and with the entire publishing industry now facing a slump, I hear many magazines are struggling to stay afloat.
Masahiko Motoki, a former editor in chief of Shukan Gendai known for his aggressive style, writes about the basics of survival for weekly magazines in his book “Shukanshi wa Shinazu” (Weekly magazines never die): “Even if it is somewhat vulgar, mean and naughty, we must plunge headlong after things we find interesting without considering the risks. (We side with the) anti-establishment (line) rather than the establishment, (side with) the weak rather than the strong and (serve) curiosity rather than justice.”
To meet the interests of the masses, weekly magazines expose facts that the authorities and people in power would rather hide. This is the true worth of weekly magazines. However, when publishers are blinded by the desire to satisfy curiosity, they run the risk of spreading misinformation and defamation. Libel compensation bills are swelling far beyond the price of “a scar on the forehead.”
Still, no matter how much it pries, weekly magazine journalism is necessary. As journalists try to close in on the truth in a world full of uncertain information, the more diversified our media the better.
Weekly magazines are also expected to keep an eye on newspapers and television. Although they sometimes write nasty stories that make us uncomfortable, I want them to keep polishing their skills and also their awareness of human rights.
--The Asahi Shimbun, April 2 |
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