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专业、公正与独立, 但是独缺自由


人往往会忘我的工作,办报也一样,忘我的编采出版和评审,自我的认为最完美,尽力了,无憾了,最终,这一切都因为自由的选择,自我的判断,无形的指导,而功亏一篑。美其名的专业、公正与独立,也只不过是个虚名 一种自我安慰,走出了新加坡,才知天地之大,国际的自由标准确实很不一样,我们是否把新闻自由定的太低了。

一个人在工作时,是可以很专业、公正与独立的。一份报纸,在报道时,也是可以很专业、公正与独立的。就如,528日早报的社论所说的一样:
【从选战开始的报道,包括对两党候选人的专访,到今天见报的胜利者和失败者的谢票活动,《联合早报》的记者、编辑在处理时所秉持的信念是:专业、公正与独立。面对我们的读者,我们问心无愧。(早报528日社论)】
如果新闻工作者,媒体人,只是把新闻报道当成一份工作来对待,认真的专业、公正与独立的执行工作的义务,当然,这篇社论没有问题。如果报纸的报道,只是提供新闻,认真的报道,认真的专业、公正与独立的提供读者资讯,这篇社论也可以说是问心无愧了。如果以新加坡独特的新闻标准来衡量,在OB maker之下,的的确确,问心无愧,主流媒体已经做到了专业、公正与独立了。

问题偏偏出现在自由上面。一篇专业、公正与独立的报道,一则专业、公正与独立的新闻,是否可以自由的见报,如何见报,如何选择,采用那个角度。。。那就是问题的关键。再好再专业、公正与独立的报道和新闻,如果失去了自由在主流媒体上见报的机会,那么再怎么好,在怎么专业、公正与独立,最后还是见不了报,或者,即使见了报,也已经失去了原有的精神,原有的专业、公正与独立。

和新媒体的自由度比较,主流媒体也倍感压力,虽然,新媒体一直被认为公信力不高,还是主流媒体可靠。但是,这也是自我感觉良好,政府当然要这么说,不然行动党的选择性的误导,如何能够成功。如果没有新媒体,新加坡有好多政策失误就见不了报了。

在‘相片,新闻,国策的选择性误导,再加民主的误读’
http://pijitailai.blogspot.com/2012/05/blog-post_18.html?utm_source=BP_recent 一文中,已经说明了这个问题。现在,进一步谈谈自由的问题。

新闻自由的国际标准?

总部设在巴黎的无国界记者组织发表2011-2012年全球新闻自由度排名,新加坡可以说是名落孙山,和我们的国力,尤其是经济实力相比,那可是相差很远。和亚洲其他三条小龙相比较,我们也落后了很多。

2011-2012 全球新闻自由度排名:
排名
国家、地区
评分(分越高越不自由)
韩国
44
12,67
台湾
45
13,00
香港
54
17,00
新加坡
135
61,00

在全球被评估的179国家和地区中, 新加坡的确排在后面。因此,在全球新闻自由度这一方面,我们没有光环,所以,早报所谓的‘专业、公正与独立’以及‘问心无愧’在新加坡说说倒是无所谓,我们自我评估,自我感觉良好,外人也不好再评说下去。但是,一出了国门,别人可是用国际标准来衡量全球各地区,各个国家,不是新加坡标准,不是用早报的标准。

为何我们不采用国际新闻标准?

我们在很多指标的选用上,都是采用国际标准,例如:生产力,国民所得,国际竞争力,大学排名,甚至贫富的指数,快乐指数,这些有些争议的指数,我们还是勉强接受。但是,为何在新闻自由度上,却采用新加坡独有的标准,是否这样才能凸显我们的与众不同,只有这样,我们才能够取得经济发展,政治稳定,社会安宁。

这种特意的选择,这种特意的安排,和这种无憾的专业、公正与独立,在有些人看来是治国之本,但在另一些人看来就是压制言论自由,自由度不够高,不达到国际标准,尤其是作为一个第一世界国家,不只是在经济上站得住脚,也要在其他方面,社会,人文,政治等达到第一世界的标准。

在新加坡法律下的学术自由

国大博雅学院新任院长说的话,似乎也有点像是用新加坡的标准来衡量学术自由(见下)。 他特别指出的‘在新加坡的法律范围内,保证学术自由’。因此,博雅学院的教职员,学生,可要先懂新加坡的法律,新加坡的新闻自由的法律标准,在这个范围内才有自由,可别把国际上的那一套,尤其是无国界记者组织的那一套拿来作为标准。
“We’re going to guarantee academic freedom on campus and the right of students and scholars to talk, do the research they want to do, obviously within the laws of Singapore,” said Yale professor Pericles Lewis on Wednesday, when he was named inaugural president of the liberal arts college opening next year. Yahoo 30 May 2012
再进一步,或许,我们从维基解密(见下)中,可以看出为何新加坡在国际新闻自由度上,排名落后的原因,不是新闻工作者不专业、公正与独立,而是有一支无形的手,一直在遥控着主流媒体。因为,新加坡的(尤其是年轻)新闻工作者也对新加坡政府的指导,感到无奈无助而无可为。

这么一来,新加坡的主流媒体,和早报到底是要向读者,还是政府说问心无愧。从这角度来看早报的这篇社论,或许更加有意思了。

JOURNALISTS INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED WITH GOVERNMENT SUPERVISIONPUBLISHED ON MONDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2011.Printable version PrintSend this article by mail Send français Partager9 09SINGAPORE61A classified cable from the US embassy in Singapore on 16 January 2009, which WikiLeaks released on 30 August, reports that the younger generation of Singaporean journalists are “increasingly frustrated” with the curbs on domestic reporting imposed by the government. Young reporters are becoming impatient with their older editors, who have long been used to toeing the government line, the cable said. Ministers often call editors to check what they are publishing and there is a growing tendency on the part of reporters to censor themselves. More or more young journalists are moving abroad in order to be able to report more freely, the cable added.http://en.rsf.org/singapore-journalists-increasingly-05-09-2011,40920.html

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