Lesson 45 Thepowerofthepress 资讯报道的威力
IndemocraticcountriesanyeffortstorestrictthefreedomofthePressarerightlycondemned. However, thisfreedomcaneasilybeabused.Storiesaboutpeopleoftenattractfarmorepublicattentionthanpoliticalevents. Thoughwemayenjoyreadingaboutthelivesofothers, itisextremelydoubtfulwhetherwewouldequallyenjoyreadingaboutourselves. Actingonthecontentionthatfactsaresacred, reporterscancauseuntoldsufferingtoindividualsbypublishingdetailsabouttheirprivatelives. Newspapersexertsuchtremendousinfluencethattheycannotonlybringaboutmajorchangestothelivesofordinarypeoplebutcanevenoverthrowagovernment.
Thestoryofapoorfamilythatacquiredfameandfortuneovernight,dramaticallyillustratesthepowerofthepress. ThefamilylivedinAberdeen,asmalltownof 23, 000 inhabitantsinSouthDakota. Astheparentshadfivechildren, lifewasaperpetualstruggleagainstpoverty. Theywereexpectingtheirsixthchildandwerefacedwithevenmorepressingeconomicproblems. Iftheyhadonlyhadonemorechild, thefactwouldhavepassedunnoticed. Theywouldhavecontinuedtostruggleagainsteconomicoddsandwouldhavelivedinobscurity. Buttheysuddenlybecametheparentsofquintuplets, fourgirlsandaboy, aneventwhichradicallychangedtheirlives. Thedayafterthebirthofthefivechildren, anaeroplanearrivedinAberdeenbringingsixtyreportersandphotographers.
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