THIS IS AMERICA - Media in the United States, Part 1

THIS IS AMERICA - Media in the United States, Part 1
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, September 27, 2004

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty¹.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. This week, we begin a two-part look at the media in the United States.

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VOICE ONE:

Americans get some of their news and entertainment from public television and radio. These public media receive money to operate from private citizens, organizations and government. Many of their programs are educational.

 
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But most of the American media are run by businesses for profit. These privately³ owned media have changed greatly in recent years. Newspapers, magazines and traditional broadcast television organizations have lost some of their popularity⁴. At the same time, online, cable and satellite media have increased in numbers and strength. So have media that serve ethnic⁵ groups and those communicating in foreign languages.

In general, more media than ever now provide Americans with news and entertainment. At the same time, fewer owners control them. Huge companies have many holdings. In some areas, one company controls much of the media.

VOICE TWO:

One dramatic change in American media is the increased success of cable television. It comes into most homes over wires. It does not use the public airwaves, as broadcast television does. Like broadcast television, most cable television programs include sales messages. This is true although people must pay to see cable television in their homes.

Thirty years ago, few people had cable. Today, about sixty-eight percent of American homes have cable television. Television by satellite also is gaining popularity.

VOICE ONE:

Over the years, traditional broadcast organizations have tried to appeal to as many watchers as possible. Many cable companies, however, present programs for one special group of viewers. For example, there are stations for people who like books, cooking, travel, golf or comedy.

Some cable channels also launched programs with sexual⁶ material or language that could not be used on broadcast television. American law considers that the broadcast airwaves belong to the public. So broadcast networks traditionally guarded against offensive⁷ content. But the networks have reacted to the popularity of cable by also showing more suggestive material.

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VOICE TWO:

In the past few years, "reality" television programs have become extremely popular. They show situations as they happen, without a written story. They cost less to produce than other kinds of programs.

 
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In the United States, CBS Television started reality programs in two-thousand with "Survivor⁸." Sixteen people who did not know each other lived together on an unpopulated island for thirty-nine days. They had few supplies. They formed alliances⁹. They also plotted against one another.

The cameras recorded the action as they competed to stay on the island. Each week the group voted one of the people off the island. The last one to remain took home one million dollars.

VOICE ONE:

The computer has also changed American media. By two thousand, the government said more than half of American homes had computers. At least one person used the Internet in more than eighty percent of these homes. Other people use the Internet in schools, at work and at libraries.

The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press released a study of Internet use. The center's Internet and American Life Project found that forty-four percent of Internet users share their thoughts on the Internet. Some write commentaries¹⁰ about politics and other issues on Web logs, or blogs.

VOICE TWO:

The Pew Center says some young people today learn about politics in another non-traditional way. Earlier this year, the center questioned more than one thousand five hundred people. One in five who were younger than thirty said they usually get political information from television comedy programs. That is two times as many as four years ago. They watch programs like "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

VOICE ONE:

The studies also show that thirty-three percent of both young and older people said they sometimes learn about politics on the Internet. Their answers showed a nine percent increase in Internet use for this purpose since the last presidential election.

The Internet is also playing a financial part in political campaigns. For example, the candidates for president have received millions of dollars in gifts over the Internet.

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VOICE TWO:

The Project for Excellence¹¹ in Journalism¹² says almost forty-one million Americans watched nightly network news in nineteen ninety-four. By last November, that had dropped below thirty million.

Tom Brokaw of NBC, Peter Jennings of ABC and Dan Rather of CBS are the main reporters, or anchors, on these shows. Mister Brokaw, however, plans to leave the position after the presidential election.

 
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And just last week, CBS launched an independent investigation¹³ into a report on another news program on which Dan Rather appears. The recent report added to questions about President Bush's military service during the time of the Vietnam War.

Mister Rather presented some documents given to CBS News. Last week, however, he apologized. He said he could no longer trust that the documents were real.

VOICE ONE:

The Project for Excellence in Journalism reports that eleven percent fewer people buy daily newspapers than in nineteen ninety. It also says many people no longer believe what they read in the newspapers. The project says that in nineteen eighty-five, eighty percent of readers trusted newspapers. In two thousand two, only fifty-nine percent said they believed what they read.

VOICE TWO:

In May of last year, a reporter was forced to leave The New York Times. Jayson Blair invented facts in some stories or copied from other newspapers. And in January of this year, a top reporter at USA Today, Jack¹⁴ Kelly, resigned for similar reasons.

More recently The New York Times apologized for some of its reporting before the Iraqi war. It said it depended too much on information from unidentified officials and Iraqi exiles¹⁵. Also, the Washington Post found weaknesses in its own reporting.

Another media story recently has involved some newspapers that lied about their circulation¹⁶. The Chicago Sun-Times admitted misrepresenting its number of readers during the past two years. In addition, The Tribune Company reported that two of its publications had overstated the number of copies they sell.

VOICE ONE:

It is natural for owners and investors¹⁷ to expect to make a profit, though some media owners say they would be happy just not to lose money. They say they are operating a newspaper or radio station mainly as a public service. But media organizations usually depend on money from businesses that advertise their products and services.

Reporters often express concern about pressure from media owners. Reporters sometimes say they cannot write some stories for fear of loss of advertising¹⁸. But there are also many examples of aggressive reporting that serves the public interest.

Many people, though, say they do not believe they are always getting fair reporting. They often accuse journalists of supporting only one set of political beliefs.

The Pew Center reports that about twelve percent of local reporters, editors and media officials questioned say they are conservatives¹⁹. This compares with thirty-four percent who identify themselves as liberals. The difference found between conservatives and liberals is even wider on the national level. But most journalists say they do not let personal opinion interfere²⁰ with their reporting.

VOICE TWO:

In the United States, newspapers serving ethnic groups and speakers of foreign languages are doing better than many others. Their popularity demonstrates America's big gains of people of foreign ancestry²¹, especially Hispanics and Asians. These groups are also watching and listening to an increasing number of television and radio stations in their own languages.

VOICE ONE:

Next week, we tell about government and court decisions affecting media operators. And we present issues about freedom of expression in the media.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver²². I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for the second part of our report about the media in the United States, on THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

3 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

4 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

7 offensive   

adj.令人不快的，侮辱的，攻击用的；n.进攻

参考例句：

• His mode of doing business is offensive to me.他干事情的方式叫我很不喜欢。
• If all else fails,I will take the offensive.如果其他方法不行，我将采取攻势。

8 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

9 alliances   

（国家、政党等的）结盟( alliance的名词复数 )； 同盟国； 结盟的社会； 联姻

参考例句：

• Our alliances will be sundered if they appear as obstacles to peace. 我们的同盟如果成为和平的障碍，就会瓦解。
• Inevitably this produced a challenge to our previous predominance in our alliances. 这不可避免地形成了对我们从前在联盟中的支配地位的挑战。

10 commentaries   

n.实况报道( commentary的名词复数 )；评论；评注；批评

参考例句：

• The schools produced diligent excerpting from older manuscripts, summarizing, and commentaries. 各学院从古代手稿里作了辛勤的摘录、总结和评注工作。 来自辞典例句
• The schools produced diligent excepting from older manuscripts, summarizing, and commentaries. 各学院从古代手稿里作了辛勤的摘录，总结和评注的工作。 来自辞典例句

11 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

12 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。

13 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。

14 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

15 exiles   

流放，放逐，流亡( exile的名词复数 )； 长期离家[出国]； 被流放者，流亡国外者，背井离乡者

参考例句：

• There were many French exiles in England after the Revolution. 法国大革命后，有许多法国人流亡到英国。
• Political exiles had not been given indemnity from prosecution. 政治流放犯没有得到免予起诉的保护。

16 circulation   

n.循环，流通，传播，发行，发行量

参考例句：

• There is a large circulation in the musical public.在音乐界销路很广。
• The ideas have been in circulation for some time.这些想法已经流行了一段时间。

17 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

18 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

19 conservatives   

保守的人( conservative的名词复数 )； （英国）保守党党员，保守党支持者

参考例句：

• The Conservatives were then the governing party . 那时是保守党当政。
• The Conservatives were once more in power. 保守党再次执政。

20 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

21 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

22 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。