How to choose your news - Damon Brown

如何选择你的新闻 -- 达蒙·布朗

翻译人员: Zhiting Chen 校对人员: Chenlu Wang

你会通过什么方式 去了解这个世界正在发生什么？

动动鼠标，你就可以知道大把消息

How do you know what's happening in your world?

The amount of information just a click away

多到数不过来的消息，

may be limitless,

但是我们用来 吸收和判断这些消息的

but the time and energy we have

时间和精力却是有限的。

to absorb and evaluate it is not.

对你来说， 并不是每一条消息都有用

All the information in the world won't be very useful

除非你知道如何去选择新闻。

unless you know how to read the news.

对你的父辈，祖父辈，

To your grandparents, parents,

甚至是年长一点的哥哥姐姐来说，

or even older siblings,

这个话题听来略显怪异。

this idea would have sounded strange.

也就十几年前，新闻是包罗万象的

Only a few decades ago, news was broad-based.

而你的选择也是很有限的

Your choices were limited

局限于那些普通的杂志，

to a couple of general interest magazines

报纸，

and newspaper of record,

还有3到4个电视频道

and three or four TV networks

权威的播音员每天准时准点播出的

where trusted newscasters delivered the day's news

每日新闻中。

at the same reliable time every evening.

随着大众传媒的普及

But the problems with this system soon became apparent

这些老旧的收取新闻渠道的缺点 变得越来越明显。

as mass media spread.

专制的国家对于新闻的控制和审查

While it was known that authoritarian countries

这一点大家心知肚明，

controlled and censored information,

一连串的丑闻被曝光

a series of scandals showed that

显示出民主政府也同样会通过传媒，

democratic governments were also misleading the public,

去误导大众。

often with media cooperation.

隐蔽的战争，秘密暗杀，

Revelations of covert wars, secret assassinations,

政治腐败

and political corruption

无一不在摧毁大众对于 由主流媒体报道并粉饰的政府

undermined public faith in official narratives

丑陋行为的信心。

presented by mainstream sources.

对主流媒体的信任瓦解

This breakdown of trust in media gatekeepers

导致了报纸，电台，有线新闻

lead to alternative newspapers, radio shows, and cable news

与另一些持不同观点的

competing with the major outlets and covering events

传播渠道竞争。

from various perspectives.

近年来，互联网上各类的信息咨询

More recently, the Internet has multiplied the amount

和评论观点多不胜数，

of information and viewpoints,

因为大众传媒，博客，在线视频网

with social media, blogs, and online video

正不知不觉将每一个人 打造成有潜力的记者。

turning every citizen into a potential reporter.

但若每个人都是记者， 则每个人也都不是记者了，

But if everyone is a reporter, nobody is,

同一事件不同渠道的报道各有不同，

and different sources may disagree,

不仅评论有异议， 真实性也众说纷纭。

not only opinions, but on the facts themselves.

此前提下，试问你如何了解真相？

So how do you get the truth, or something close?

其中一个最好的方法 就是去找到未经

One of the best ways is to get the original news

中间人过滤的新闻原始版本。

unfiltered by middlemen.

那些所谓经科学研究的， 或是出去政客之口的文章

Instead of articles interpreting a scientific study

多半有水分，

or a politician's speech,

所以，你完全可以找到原始信息， 然后自己做判断。

you can often find the actual material and judge for yourself.

对于那些时事新闻， 你可以听听电视上那些记者是怎么说的。

For current events, follow reporters on social media.

对于那些热门大事件， 比如阿拉伯之春

During major events, such as the Arab Spring

或是乌克兰的抗议

or the Ukrainian protests,

新闻工作者和博客主们已经

newscasters and bloggers have posted updates and recordings

提供了最新的情况和记录。

from the midst of the chaos.

要注意，我们从电视和报纸上看到的，

Though many of these later appear in articles or broadcasts,

很多信息都是在场的当事人

keep in mind that these polished versions

以及不在场的编辑

often combine the voice of the person who was there

制造出的混合体

with the input of editors who weren't.

同时，事件越混乱，

At the same time, the more chaotic the story,

你就越不该实时跟踪此事件。

the less you should try to follow it in real time.

比如恐怖袭击和自然灾害，

In events like terrorist attacks and natural disasters,

即使没有可信的信息支持， 当天的媒体也想对事件

today's media attempts continuous coverage

进行持续报道，

even when no reliable new information is available,

有时候会提供错误信息

sometimes leading to incorrect information

或造成对无辜群众的错误指控。

or false accusations of innocent people.

面对这样的事件， 我们会变得焦虑，

It's easy to be anxious in such events,

但是要尝试从不同的渠道

but try checking for the latest information

接受有关同一事件的信息，

at several points in the day,

大概每隔几分钟

rather than every few minutes,

电视上就出来一个新的细节消息

allowing time for complete details to emerge

推翻错误的报道。

and false reports to be refuted.

好的记者看中事件的客观性

While good journalism aims for objectivity,

媒体的偏颇却也是无可避免。

media bias is often unavoidable.

当你无法直接知道事件的真相，

When you can't get the direct story,

多看看不同媒体的报道

read coverage in multiple outlets

看看不同的记者是如何报道， 同时听听不同专家的评论

which employ different reporters and interview different experts.

多渠道多分析和比较

Tuning in to various sources and noting the differences

你将这些消息片段拼接在一起

lets you put the pieces together

便能看到更完整的画面。

for a more complete picture.

学会将事件从评论分离，也很重要。

It's also crucial to separate fact from opinion.

那些不确定多字眼像是， 认为， 有可能，也许

Words like think, likely, or probably

代表着媒体的谨慎

mean that the outlet is being careful

或许，这只是在媒体的猜测。

or, worse, taking a guess.

对于那些匿名的信息来源 就要格外当心了，

And watch out for reports that rely on anonymous sources.

那也许是内部人士提供的，

These could be people who have little connection to the story,

或是在事件中能够获利的人提供的，

or have an interest in influencing coverage,

他们的匿名使得

their anonymity making them unaccountable

所提供的消息并不可信。

for the information they provide.

最后，也是最重要的一，点

Finally, and most importantly,

在传播消息之前要确定它的真实性。

try to verify news before spreading it.

当大众传媒令真相那么唾手可得

While social media has enabled the truth

的时候，

to reach us faster,

也令流言能在未被证实前

it's also allowed rumors to spread

传播开来

before they can be verified

假象在被证实前

and falsehoods to survive

也已经流传很久了。

long after they've been refuted.

所以，在你传播那些不可思议

So, before you share that unbelievable

或是劲爆的新闻消息前，

or outrageous news item,

上网查阅，

do a web search to find any additional

看看这个消息被遗漏的要点

information or context you might have missed

或是别人对此事件的评价。

and what others are saying about it.

现如今，我们比起

Today, we are more free than ever

以前生活在官媒控制下的人们

from the old media gatekeepers

有着更大的自由。

who used to control the flow of information.

但是自由带来责任：

But with freedom comes responsibility:

我们有责任去保证这条新闻

the responsibility to curate our own experience

不会造成无谓的新闻泛滥

and ensure that this flow does not become a flood,

让我们变得更加一无所知。

leaving us less informed than before we took the plunge.