Prépa à la Une
LIRE LA PRESSE ANGLOPHONE
Cours 258
MINISTERE DE L’EDUCATION NATIONALE
MINISTERE DE L’ENSEIGNEMENT SUPERIEUR ET DE LA RECHERCHE
269 - 1-0258-TE-WB-01-14
Préambule
Ce cours consacré à la lecture de la presse anglophone vise à vous permettre de réviser des
notions grammaticales déjà étudiées, et à vous présenter des structures linguistiques et un
vocabulaire spécifiques à cette presse, que vous pouvez consulter essentiellement en ligne.
Il n'est pas basé prioritairement sur l'actualité que cette presse traite : pour ce faire, vous avez
la rubrique «The talk of the press» sur le site de Prépa @ la UNE.
Ce cours a été écrit initialement par Andy HILL (enseignant d’anglais à l'Université de
Rouen) puis complété et mis à jour par Françoise Caron et Gérard Marcout qui a été plusieurs
fois en poste dans des pays anglophones pour le compte de l’AFP (Agence France Presse).
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Sommaire
Chapter 1 : Introduction and methodology ............................................................................................................. 4
Why this course ? ................................................................................................................................ 4
Methodology How to read an article in English ................................................................................ 11
Focus on grammar ............................................................................................................................. 17
About since, for, during, while .................................................................................................. 17
About Present perfect (have + past participle) and past simple ................................................ 20
About Articles ........................................................................................................................... 23
Summary technique ........................................................................................................................... 26
Chapter 2 : English press, American press: what are the differences? ..................................................... 29
Focus on The British printed press .................................................................................................... 29
Focus on the American printed press ................................................................................................ 35
Chapter 3 : headline news ........................................................................................................................................... 53
Focus on the grammar of headlinese in three easy lessons ............................................................... 58
Headline : a glossary ......................................................................................................................... 60
Chapter 4 : press freedom and invasion privacy ............................................................................................... 62
Can the press be too free ?................................................................................................................. 62
Focus on self-regulation .................................................................................................................... 62
Those terrible tabloids ....................................................................................................................... 70
Chapter 5 : the political roller coaster .................................................................................................................... 74
Chapter 6 : and now, on a lighter note... ................................................................................................................ 82
To read the English press on the web ................................................................................................ 85
Lexique des mots de la presse in English .......................................................................................... 87
Mots de l’actu in English................................................................................................................... 90
Selection of articles about journalistic practices ............................................................................... 93
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Chapter 1 : Introduction and methodology
Why this course ?
The aim of this course is primarily to show to you how the English language is used in the
press, and secondarily to give an insight into the workings of the English-speaking press.
We shall be looking at the different techniques which will enable you to start reading an
article in the best conditions, at the type of language used in the different newspapers
(differences between the jargon of the tabloids and the more nuanced English of the
broadsheets) and at how to decipher English headlines, which can often be misunderstood
because of their conciseness (indeed we shall be looking at a number of headlines which are
so concise that they have become ambiguous and have a second, often rather amusing,
meaning).
An important point to make though is that, while "journalistic English" certainly does have its
own specificities and its own jargon to which we shall devote several chapters, it is
impossible to study journalistic English in a vacuum. In other words, it is important to have a
good grasp of English grammar, and more essential still, to keep building up your vocabulary,
because the more vocabulary you know, the less you have to try to infer when reading an
article.
The course will be based on authentic articles taken from real English-speaking newspapers,
and after each article, there will be a vocabulary section - either simply a list of new words
and expressions, or an exercise in which students are invited to infer the meaning of certain
expressions. There will, of course, be comprehension questions, to help you check their
understanding of each article and also the inevitable grammar exercises. However, as this
does not claim to be a grammar course, we have chosen to concentrate on the grammar points
which seemed to me to be the most relevant to journalistic English. Chapters will notably be
devoted to the passive voice, the present perfect and the past simple, the use of articles, and
the often-forgotten phrasal verbs, which are often problematic for foreign readers and which
are one of the cornerstones of journalistic English. Each of these brief grammar presentations
will, of course, be followed by exercises, which will enable you to put into practise what they
have learned (or at least re-learned).
Of course, the other advantage of using authentic articles is that they will necessarily give you
an insight into the culture and society of the English-speaking peoples.
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Lire la presse anglophone est un bon moyen pour un français de voir l’information de
son pays traitée souvent avec d’autres angles que les médias français.
Quelques exemples
Depuis plusieurs mois, certains critiques américains du film Intouchables y trouvent des
implications racistes. Un reproche qui n'a jamais été formulé en France note, sur son blog, Thomas
Sotinel, du Monde.
La sortie d'Intouchables aux Etats-Unis se passe
bien, malgré une distribution très modeste. "Les
premiers résultats commerciaux sont plutôt bons,
malgré une classification R (interdit aux moins de 17
ans non accompagnés) due aux gros mots et à
l'usage de cannabis. En une semaine, The
Intouchables, distribué dans seulement quatre
salles, a rapporté 146 000 dollars", explique Sotinel.
Le nombre de salles le distribuant devrait croître
rapidement.
Mais la première critique parue dans Variety en septembre 2011 était dure, rappelle Sotinel. Le magazine écrivait
en effet: "En fait Driss n'est pas traité autrement que comme un singe savant (avec toutes les implications
racistes d'une telle expression), apprenant aux blancs coincés comment s'éclater en remplaçant Vivaldi par
Boogie Wonderland et leur montrant son style sur la piste de danse. Il est pénible de voir Sy, un comédien
joyeusement charismatique, dans un rôle à peine éloigné de celui de l'esclave domestique plein d'entrain d'antan,
qui distrait son maître tout en incarnant les stéréotypes de classe et de race habituels." Une critique qui avait été
signalée par le magazine français Première en décembre dernier.
Sur son blog, Sotinel cite aussi Roger Egbert, le plus célèbre critique américain : "L'attrait, tout à fait légitime, d'un
film comme celui-ci, est que lorsque l'on commence à ressentir de l'affection pour les personnages, ce qui les
rend heureux nous rend heureux. (...) Mais au bout du compte, si l'on regarde à travers les détails du premier
plan, on s'aperçoit qu'on nous sert une version simpliste de stéréotypes raciaux."
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Le débat continue aux USA
En janvier 2012, le Los Angeles Times titrait : "Le
film à succès français Intouchables contient une
certaine dose de racisme", en ajoutant que cette
vision de certains critiques américains "étonnait
beaucoup de Français." L'article citait néanmoins
Jean-Jacques Delfour, une prof de philo (qui avait
qualifié le film de "réactionnaire" en novembre 2011
dans Libération) en résumant ainsi son interprétation
: "Ce film date des années 30, quand on pensait que
l'homme noir n'avait aucune culture et qu'il passait
son temps à rire de tout."
A propos de cette polémique le magazine en ligne
Salon écrit le 22 mai: "Je pense qu''Olivier Nakache
et Eric Toledano, le duo qui a réalisé The
Intouchables, sont innocents de toute mauvaise
intention."
Sur le site américain Slate, Daphnee Denis
s'interroge le 25 mai : "Intouchables raciste ? Les
Français ne le pensent pas." Elle note tout de même
que des critiques américains voient dans le film "une
version moderne d'un domestique noir avec son
maître blanc"
Los Angeles Times 25 mai 2012
Loin de toute polémique, le Miami Herald (Floride) a publié le 25 mai dernier, une critique très positive diffusée
par l'agence AP et souvent reprise, même avis positif pour l'Arizona Republic, (Arizona) qui a réalisé une
interview d'Omar Sy.
Arizona Republic 25 mai 2012
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The Herald Bulletin (Indiana)
Los Angeles Times 25 mai 2012
Source http://www.arretsurimages.net/contenu.php?id=4985
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Autre exemple
Tuerie en Haute-Savoie: la presse anglaise ose le "french-bashing"
Par Cécile Paulet, publié le 07/09/2012
http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/media-people/media/tuerie-en-haute-savoie-la-presse-anglaise-ose-le-frenchbashing_1157872.html
La France fait l'objet de critiques de la presse anglaise pour de supposés manquements dans
l'enquête sur la tuerie en Haute-Savoie. Certains journaux vont jusqu'à s'interroger sur la "spirale
de la violence" dans un pays qui voit se succéder les faits divers depuis un an.
Des forces de police et de gendarmerie incompétentes, une justice trop clémente envers les
criminels, un pays où la sécurité n'est plus assurée: depuis la tuerie de Haute-Savoie, où quatre
touristes, dont certains de nationalité britannique, ont été tués, la presse anglaise se plaît à
écorner l'image de la France. Des tabloïds comme le Daily Mirror s'étonnent des méthodes de la
gendarmerie française, qui a mis huit heures avant de trouver une petite-fille, vivante, cachée
parmi les corps des victimes, et a seulement "supposé" que toutes les personnes présentes dans
la voiture étaient décédées après une première inspection à l'aide d'une caméra thermique.
Le Guardian, psychologue, souligne la sensibilité des Français dans l'affaire, que la nationalité
anglaise de la famille assassinée mettrait très mal à l'aise. Pour le journaliste Gibbons Fiachra,
les Français seraient blessés dans leur orgueil de ne pas avoir su protéger des touristes
étrangers.
Les titres de la presse britannique ne manquent pas de faire le lien avec la célèbre affaire
Dominici. Il y a soixante ans, dans le village de Lurs (Alpes de Haute-Provence), un physicien
anglais et sa famille avaient été assassinés dans leur tente. Le meurtrier n'a jamais été identifié.
Les titres de presse sont nombreux à établir la comparaison avec ce fait divers, grossissant le
trait d'une France terre de tous les dangers pour les citoyens britanniques.
Insécurité
La première destination touristique du monde gardera-t-elle une place au chaud dans le coeur
des Anglais? Les journalistes, choqués, en doutent. Le Telegraph dresse ainsi un portrait sans
concessions de la "France profonde". Pour le journal, sous des apparences de jardin d'Eden, elle
"n'échappe pas aux maux de la société moderne", et se laisse contaminer par la violence
urbaine.
La journaliste du Telegraph Colin Randall s'alarme de son côté de la facilité avec laquelle on peut
se procurer des armes dans l'Hexagone, n'hésitant pas à rappeler l'arsenal de Mohamed Merah.
Elle dénonce l'incapacité de la police française à rétablir la sécurité dans un pays où les attaques
armées se multiplient, et juge la justice "trop clémente" avec les criminels.
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For future journalists read and listen to English media is essential
Most of the 13 schools of journalism which are officially recognised by the profession in
France propose English tests (written and/or oral) in their entry exams.
The tests are usually about vocabulary, grammar, plus an essay to write and some questions,
either written or oral which are very useful to check the candidate’s understanding of a text or
a conversation.
IUT Lannion : no English test at the entry exam
IUT Tours : a written test (admission)
EJT Toulouse : an oral test (admission)
CELSA Paris : a written test (admissibility) plus an oral test if eligible for admission.
The candidates may prepare their English tests on the internet with the New York
Times, The Washington Post and the Guardian on line
CFJ Paris : an oral test if eligible for admission
CUEJ Strasbourg : in 2012 one written question out of five about an article in
English : «Obama Speaks Out on Trayvon Martin Killing » (New York Times, March
23, 2012)
EJCM Marseille : a written test (admissibility)
ESJ Lille : a written test (admissibility)
Sciences Po Journalisme Paris : no English test at the entry exam
Ecole de Journalisme de Grenoble : a written test (2 hours) with questions about an
article in English « In Libya, an Odd-Couple Alliance » (New York Times, April 9,
2011)
IFP Paris : a written test if eligible for admission
IJBA Bordeaux : no English test at the entry exam
IPJ Paris : an oral test if eligible for admission
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TEST et sites ressources pour l’entrainement à la compréhension de la langue anglaise
English by yourself
Il s'agit d'un service global en ligne, conçu par le CNED, ouvert à tous et gratuit, il est destiné à
faciliter l'acquisition de connaissances en langue anglaise à partir d'un ensemble de ressources
multimédias soigneusement sélectionnées mais également de propositions de parcours de formation
personnalisés (gratuits et payants).
http://www.englishbyyourself.fr/index.html
Lire et comprendre la presse en anglais
Voici un test pour appréhender les mots typiques de la presse anglaise. Le test réalisé à partir
du livre Anglais : 1.000 Mots et Expressions de la presse, de Claude Renucci.
http://www.letudiant.fr/bac/conseilsmatiere/cahier-pratique-special-anglais-18422/lireet-comprendre-la-presse-en-anglais-10975.html
Faites le test : http://www2.megasalon.letudiant.fr/play_quiz.asp?quiz=50
ELLLO
une ressource gratuite de pratique de la compréhension anglaise.
http://www.elllo.org/english/home.htm
Elle propose plus de 1,000 activités audio de qualité conçues spécialement pour les étudiants
d’anglais langue étrangère et seconde : jeux d’écoute, entretiens, mix, nouvelles, chansons...
Certains exercices préparent aux tests standards du TOEFL et TOEIC.
Un bon nombre des exercices d’écoute est accompagné d’images, d’un quiz interactif, de la
transcription du segment audio et d’un fichier MP3 en téléchargement.
ELLLO est le fruit du formidable travail de Todd Beuckens, professeur d’anglais basé au
Japon.
Les sites gratuits permettant de s’entraîner à pratique de l’anglais sont assez nombreux sur la
toile, à vous de trouver celui qui vous convient en fonction de vos besoins et de vos envies.
Certains sont ludiques d’autres plus académiques, le choix est vaste.
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Methodology How to read an article in English
There are a number of questions you should learn to ask yourself before reading a newspaper
article. These are some of them :
What do you know about the source ? Is it a newspaper article or a magazine article,
from a daily, weekly or monthly publication ?
What do you know about this publication ? Is it known to have a particular
politicalbias ? Is the journalist well known ? Is he or she involved in politics ?
The date. It is always important to situate an article within a particular context. Which
party was in power at the time of the article and which one was in the opposition ?
What was the economic climate at the time of the article ? What were the
preoccupations of the people at the time the article was written?
Once you have asked yourself these essential questions, you can start to look at the article. but
there are other things you can do before you actually start reading the article to find clues
about the subject matter :
-
Look at the accompanying illustration or photograph if there is one. Does it
encapsulate a particular idea or feeling ? Do you recognize the people and know what
they are famous for ? Does the caption give any clues as to the content of the article ?
-
Read the headline. To do this, you will need one or two pointers (see section on
"headlines") and you will need regular practice in reading the press in English.
However you will soon see that the same words crop up again and again (often called
“journalese”).
Once you get the hang of it, you will often be able to deduce the essence of the article simply
by reading the headline, and you will be better able to skim through a newspaper to find out
which articles are likely to interest you.
When you have gathered together all this peripheral information, you will already have a
good idea about what you will find in the article, which often helps you to guess the meaning
of any unknown words or expressions. Another important tip is to focus on the first sentence
and then the first paragraph of the article. These are often called the topic sentence and topic
paragraph since they often lay out the scene and constitute a clear statement of the topic to be
discussed in the body of the article.
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The rest of the article often goes on to elucidate the information given in the topic paragraph
and to give further details, opinions or facts which help us to form our own opinion (or if it is
a subjective article, to mould our opinion) on the events described.
To help you to concentrate on the article, you should always have certain questions at the
front of you mind. What we call the wh- questions :
-
wh-o or wh-at is the article about ?
wh-ere are the events taking place ?
wh-en did / will they happen ?
how is the news reported ? (objective / subjective ?)
wh-ich group of readers is the article aimed at ? (Which social category / age / political
opinions / etc.)
The Five Ws rule
The « Five Ws » rule (who or what ? where ? when ? why ? how ?) is the most important one
in journalism because the answers to the five (or six) questions are the core of any serious and
reliable information.
You will be able to notice how this very ancient rule is respected all over the world in the
English-spoken press and also used by the news agencies like the British Reuters, the
American Associated Press and even in French by Agence France Presse. They all start their
wire stories with the first or the first two paragraphs, called «lead» and « sublead », in which
their journalists must answer to the five (or six) Ws to inform rapidly the readers before
developing their news.
In 1902 the famous English short-story writer, poet and novelist Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle
Book) wrote : “I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew). Their names are
What and Why and When And How and Where and Who” (from The Elephant’s child). This
poem was memorized by thousands of young Britons to help them and learn the Five Ws rule
at school.
Exercices
In the following texts, try and find the answers to the “five Ws”.
AFP launches Sport Direct in English (Bangkok Post - November 16, 2011)
AFP launched in London Tuesday the English version of Sport Direct, a multi-media venture
which brings together the agency's unrivalled sports coverage network and its award-winning
international photo service. Until now it has only been available in French.
Sport Direct will operate round the clock to deliver the pick of the day's sporting action in a
compact, punchy style of between 120-150 words for each story. These will be illustrated
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with the latest pictures direct from the events or from the AFP Image Forum, in high
definition format.
The core of the product will be a daily file of around 90 general sports stories, and these will
be available in separate sports categories of: European and International football, cricket, golf,
tennis, motorsports, rugby, formula one, cycling and other sports. These will be ready for use
on outlets such as web, mobile and public screens.
The Sport Direct product will feature work by AFP's experienced and tested team of sports
writers around the globe working in harness with their photographer colleagues and edited at
desks in Paris, London and Hong Kong.
AFP is renowed worldwide for the quality and quantity of its sports coverage, which
comprises 25 percent of its overall text production and 35 percent of photo production and the
agency has identified sports news as a priority for development in the fast-moving multimedia world.
Correction :
Who or What ? The French new agency AFP (Agence France Presse) launched in London the
English version of Sport Direct, a multi-media venture which brings together the agency's
sports coverage network and its international photo service.
Where ? London
When ? November 16, 2011
Why ? Until now it has only been available in French.
How ? It will be a daily file of around ninety general sports stories, available in separate
sports categories of: European and International football and other sports. They will be edited
at desks in Paris, London and Hong Kong. These will be ready for use on outlets such as web,
mobile and public screens.
One-day photo project to be screened in 22 countries
Stockholm, October 6, 2012 (AFP ) - A photography exhibit featuring snapshots of daily life
around the world will open simultaneously on publicity screens in 22 countries on Monday
(October 8, 2012), a Swedish advertising agency organising the event said.
"A Day in the World" will be shown for just one day on more than 85,000 screens around the
world as of Monday at midnight local time. The 45 snapshots included in the exhibition were
selected from 100,000 received by the agency Posterscope. All of them were taken on the
same day, May 15, by amateur and professional photographers in 165 countries.
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A book featuring 1,000 photos will also be published, with a preface written by South African
Archbishop Desmond Tutu. "The aim is to show that there are more things that unite us than
divide us," one of the promoters of the project, Swedish photographer Jeppe Wikstroem, told
AFP.
The exhibition is to be shown on some of the most famous screens in the world, including
those in Times Square in New York and Europe's biggest screen in Liverpool.
Correction :
What ? The opening of an international photography exhibition about daily life around the
world
Where ? The exhibition will open simultaneously on 85.000 publicity screens in 22 countries
(USA, Great Britain, France, etc)
When ? Monday, October 8, 2012
Why ? To show that there are more things that unite than divide, according to one of the
promoters of the project, Swedish photographer Jeppe Wikstroem.
How ? 45 snapshots were selected from 100,000 taken on the same day by amateur and
professional photographers in 165 countries. A book featuring 1,000 photos will also be
published., South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu will preface it..
Amazon pays top dollar to buy Seattle HQ
Seattle, October 6, 2012 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Friday it will spend over $1
billion to buy its Seattle corporate headquarters in what will be the United States' biggest
commercial real estate deal so far this year for a single property.
The world's largest Internet retailer plans to buy 11 buildings in the trendy South Lake Union
area, comprising 1.8 million square feet of corporate office space, for $1.16 billion from
Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen's investment firm.
Based on the value of the deal, Amazon is paying the highest ever price for an office building
over 100,000 square feet in Seattle at around $644 per square foot. That is more than double
the average rate of $308 per square foot for the city's office space, according to Real Capital
Analytics.
Amazon has been leasing the properties and it may make more economic sense for it to buy
the location in the current low-interest environment and gain more control over its HQ,
analysts said. Amazon expects to close the deal in the fourth quarter on the modern office
buildings in South Lake Union, a former semi-industrial wasteland now known as a center for
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tech firms and fashionable restaurants. "It's good to have control over your home office," said
RJ Hottovy, an equity analyst at Morningstar.
At the end of August, Allen's Vulcan Real Estate, part of his Vulcan Inc investment vehicle,
put the buildings up for sale. The deal marks the United States' biggest single-asset
commercial real estate transaction of 2012, according to Real Capital Analytics, which tracks
such sales. Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with school friend Bill Gates, has been the
central figure in the revitalization of the South Lake Union neighborhood. Amazon already
has plans to build new offices nearby to house its growing staff, which total more than
50,000.
Earlier this year, the e-commerce company revealed plans to build more than 3.3 million
square feet of office space over the next eight years. Vulcan said on Friday that it will use
some of the $1.16 billion from Amazon to continue other real estate investments, including
the re-development of the remaining 30 acres of property it owns in South Lake Union.
Vulcan is working on several residential and commercial projects in the neighborhood,
including a 375,000 square foot project that it is developing for Amazon
Correction :
Who and what ? Amazon.com, the world's largest Internet retailer, will spend over $1 billion
to buy its Seattle corporate headquarters.
Where : In a former semi-industrial wasteland located in Seattle (USA).
When ? October 6, 2012.
Why ? The e-commerce company has been leasing the properties and it seems to be wiser to
buy the location in a current low-interest environment and gain more control over its
headquarters.
How ? Amazon.com plans to buy 11 buildings in the same area with the same purpose.
Gas prices hit record high, police probe 1,000-gallon theft
From The Los Angeles Times, October 6, 2012
With gasoline prices in California setting new record highs, police in one Northern California
community are dealing with gas thieves.
Police in Roseville are looking for gasoline thieves who struck two stations, taking nearly
1,000 gallons of the increasingly expensive fuel. All the gas was stolen this week from a Shell
station near the Roseville Square shopping center. And a few days earlier, thieves had made
made an unsuccessful attempt at 76 stations a few blocks away, Fox40 in Sacramento
reported.
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According to the manager of the Shell station, a man in a black pickup pumped 300 gallons of
gas, some of it going to a tank in the pickup's bed. It happened around 1:30 a.m., when the
convenience store was closed.
But security cameras caught the thief using a credit card. The pump's meter was somehow
disabled, and the manager had to check records to show that the gas was taken.
The same people came back during store hours twice, taking 350 gallons on both occasions.
Each time there was no indication behind the counter that gas was being pumped.
California's average gasoline price set a record Saturday of $4.614 for a gallon of regular, up
12.8 cents overnight. Several service stations are charging more than $5 a gallon for regular
gasoline.
Gasoline prices skyrocketed after the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance was knocked offline
Monday by a power outage. Other lingering refinery and pipeline problems also contributed
to the soaring costs at the pump.
Correction :
Who and What ? Northern Californian police are looking for gasoline thieves.
Where ? California (USA).
When ? For several days.
Why ? Gasoline prices in California set new record highs and two gas stations were struck by
thieves who also made unsuccessful attempts at other 76 stations.
How ? The police use security cameras and testimonies.
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Focus on grammar
About since, for, during, while
Since
Since is used to show how long a situation or an action has been going on. However the
duration is not explicitly
stated. Instead, since is directly followed by the starting point of the action or situation. The
verb in the main clause is in the present perfect or the past perfect (either simple or with be + ing).
When since is followed by a noun phrase, it is translated by "depuis".
Ex. The commission has existed since 1991 / since the Calcutt report.
= La commission existe depuis 1991 / depuis le rapport Calcutt.
(Note the change of tense : a present tense in French / a present perfect in English.)
When since is followed by a complete proposition, it is translated by "depuis que". The tense
in the subordinate clause is usually the past simple.
The Edge hasn't trusted (present perfect) the press since his son was (past simple)
photographed in hospital.
The Edge ne fait plus confiance à la presse depuis que l'on a pris son fils en photo à l'hôpital.
For
For is also used to show how long an action or a situation (has) lasted, but unlike since, it is
followed by an expression of duration.
Used with a present perfect or a past perfect, it is translated by "depuis"
Ex. He has been an editor for over six years.
Il est rédacteur en chef depuis plus de six ans.
Used with a past simple, it is translated by "pendant".
Ex. The newspapers didn't stop speaking about the case for three weeks.
Les journaux ont parlé de l'affaire sans arrêt pendant trois semaines.
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During
During is followed by a noun phrase which usually designates an event or a period in the
course of which another action takes place. It is translated by "pendant" ou "au cours de"
Nb : When you can say "au cours de" in French, you should use during in English.
Ex. During the trial, the editor defended his decision.
Pendant le procès / Au cours du procès, le rédacteur en chef a défendu sa décision.
While
While is always followed by a complete proposition (subject + verb + object(s)) and is used
when we speak of two events or situations which are true at a given moment. As a result, the
tenses in the two propositions must be coherent (two past tenses or two present tenses - with
or without be + -ing)
Ex. The editor showed no emotion while the judge was giving his verdict.
Le rédacteur en chef n'a pas montré d'émotion pendant que le juge prononçait sa décision.
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Exercice
Complete the following sentences, using since, for, during or while.
1) ………………….the editor was in court on libel charges, the circulation figures went
up.
2)………………..criticism of the paparazzi in the late 1990s, they have kept a lower profile.
3)…………the 1980s, the tabloids often overstepped the mark.
4) The Sun has been in existence……….. the 1960s.
5) …………….the British Army was in the Falklands, the newspapers got behind it.
6) …………….discussions on a new code of ethics, many solutions were considered.
7) ……………..the 1997 elections, some papers have started supporting the Labour Party.
8) Before, they had supported the Conservatives
years.
9) ……………Some court cases, the judge imposes reporting restrictions.
10) The Press took photos of The Edge's son ……... he was in hospital.
Correction
1) While
2) Since
3) During
4) Since
5) While
6) During
7) Since
8) For
9) During
10) while
19
About Present perfect (have + past participle) and past simple
The present perfect and the past simple are probably the most widely used tenses in
journalism, so it is important that the student has a basic understanding of the differences in
use between the two. What is more, these tenses are frequently confused by French speakers,
since both are often translated by the passé composé : Il a mangé can be translated either by
"he has eaten" or "he ate", depending on the context.
So here is a brief guide to how these tenses should be used :
The present perfect
1) The present perfect (simple or continuous) is used (often with for or since) when an action
which started or a situation which was true in the past continues in the present :
-
He has been in power since 1997.
Il est au pouvoir depuis 1997.
I have been waiting here for half an hour.
Cela fait une demi-heure que j'attends ici.
2) The present perfect is also used when we are interested in the present result of a past action
or when we are informing somebody of a piece of news for the first time.
-
I have lost my key. (In other words, I haven't got it now, so I can't open the door.)
Mr. X has died at the age of 76.
M. X est mort à l'âge de 76 ans.
Even though he died in the past and the action is a completed one, the newspaper is informing
the public of the news and we can suppose that this news will have consequences in the
present.
3) The present perfect is used to talk about living people's achievements or experiences
(or lack of experience) until now :
-
Mr. BUSH has always had outrageous good fortune.
M. BUSH a toujours eu une chance inouïe.
So far he has never been outside America.
Jusqu'à présent, il n'a jamais quitté les États-Unis.
Have you ever publicly criticized a member of your own party ?
Vous est-il déjà arrivé de critiquer ouvertement un membre de votre propre parti ?
20
The past simple
1) The past simple is used to talk about something which happened in the past when we
are not interested in its consequences in the present. Often there is a date or an
indication of the date in the immediate context :
- Last week, David Blunkett announced his decision to resign.
La semaine dernière, David Blunkett a annoncé sa décision de démissionner.
-
- The government under-estimated the scale of the crisis at first.
Au début, le gouvernement a sous-estimé l'envergure de la crise.
For the same reason, the past simple is used with ago.
-
He came to power four years ago.
Il est arrivé au pouvoir il y a quatre ans.
2) We also use the past simple when we talk about the achievements of people who have
died (so who can no longer achieve anything else).
he League
Championship in 1989 and 1991. (From a Daily Telegraph obituary)
David Rocastle faisait partie intégrante de l'équipe d'Arsenal qui a remporté le
championnat d'Angleterre en 1989 et en 1991.
-
William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays.
William Shakespeare a écrit 37 pièces.
3) The past simple is used to ask when something happened.
- When did the last elections take place ?
Quand les dernières élections ont-elles eu lieu ?
-
At what time did David Trezeguet score the winning goal ?
A quelle heure David Trezeguet a-t-il marqué le but vainqueur ?
21
Exercice
Complete the following sentences using either the present perfect or the past simple.
1) So far, George Bush (make) …………….. a lot of enemies.
2) Many think that since he (win) …………….. the elections in November, he (keep)
a very low profile.
3) NEWS : 60s star Gary Devonish (die) …………….. . He (have) …………….. many
top ten singles and also (act) …………….. in several well-known television
programmes.
4) At what moment (you / decide) ………………….. to become a politician ?
5) How many countries (you visit) ………………………… in your short career so far ?
6) How many (you visit) …………………………. during last year's tour ?
7) Tony Blair (never be) …………………………. a great fan of the Trade Unions.
8) during her 11 years in power, Mrs. Thatcher (bring) …………… the unions to their knees.
9) Tony Blair (lose) …………… support so he will not be able to go to the polls this spring.
10) So far, I (never / hear of) …………………………. a politician who (succeed)
………………. without being incredibly ambitious.
11) My friend is a barrister. He (work) ……………….on many famous trials.
Correction : 1) has made, 2) won/has kept, 3) has died/had/acted, 4) did you decide, 5) have
you visited, 6) did you visit, 7) has never been, 8) brought, 9) had lost, 10) have never heard
of/succeeded, 11) has worked
22
About Articles
We would like to concentrate on the cases in which French use differs from English use. Here
are some of the most common :
The definite article - the
In general, the definite article is used when it is clear which person or object we are talking
about, either because
it has already been mentioned ("the man I've just told you about), or because the social
context makes it clear ("I went to see the mayor yesterday" - obviously the mayor of the town
where the speaker lives)
Common differences between French and English.
In English, the definite article is not used :
-
-
With singular names of countries (France, England, Venezuela etc.) Exceptions - The
Lebanon, The Gambia, The
Ukraine and countries with 'republic', 'state' or 'kingdom' in their name.
With titles, where the surname also appears (President bUSH = le président BUSH)
With names of mountains in English (Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro but "the
Mont blanc") With English street names (Barnwood Avenue, Grosvenor Road but "the
Rue Morgue").
For general ideas and abstract nouns (happiness, sexism, society, philosophy)
For places where the activity is more important than the building it is housed in. ("My
daughter is in Ø hospital,
so she is not at Ø school, and I can't go to Ø work." "My wife goes to Ø church but I
am an atheist." But "I
like looking at the church to admire the architecture"
For languages and school subjects (German / chemistry / literature, etc.)
Sports (tennis, cricket, football, etc.)
Illnesses and diseases (AIdS, leprosy, foot-and-mouth disease)
The definite article is used.
a)
For rivers / seas / oceans. (The River Severn (Gb), The Colorado River (US), The
Pacific (Ocean), The Mediterranean (Sea).
b)
To say which musical instrument you play (I play the guitar).
c)
"To go to the cinema, the theatre, the doctors, the opticians" etc.
23
The indefinite article
The indefinite article is used with singular countable nouns when it is not clear exactly which
person or object is
being talked about, either because it is one of many similar people or objects
I've broke a window at our house playing football. (There are many windows in the speaker's
house but he doesn't
specify which one was broken)
Or because it is the first time that the speaker has spoken about a person or object
might have a friend who could help you with that.
I think I
Common differences between English and French
a) In English, we use the indefinite article (a / an) with a profession where there is no article
in French :
She works as a secretary = Elle travaille comme secrétaire. He is a banker = Il est banquier.
b) We also use an indefinite article before a noun in apposition :
Mr. French, a Conservative MP, lost his seat at the last elections.
M. French, député conservateur, a perdu son siège aux dernières élections.
24
Exercice : Complete the text with the correct articles.
….. doctor Philip Brown, ….. Labour MP had had ….. uneventful existence until suddenly
….. tragedy hit his family. His wife, ….. lawyer with ….. reputable company went for …..
standard check-up at ….. doctors and her GP was worried and sent her into ….. hospital for
further tests. ….. next day, ….. bad news arrived, she was diagnosed as having ….. breast
cancer and would need ….. urgent treatment. Fortunately, she was ….. fighter, and after …..
long battle, she was completely cured. ….. doctor brown received many ….. cards from wellwishers in ….. constituency he represented, and all ….. people they knew were relieved to
hear of Ms. brown's recovery.
As a result, doctor Brown has decided to slow down his activities, and he took ….. whole
month off to take his wife on ….. cruise on ….. Mediterranean. Ms. brown puts her recovery
down to her strong Christian faith and since leaving ….. hospital, she has started going to …..
church regularly. "….. experience like this certainly helps put ….. things into perspective,"
she told journalists.
Correction
….. doctor Philip Brown, a Labour MP had had an uneventful existence until suddenly …..
tragedy hit his family. His wife, a lawyer with a reputable company went for a standard
check-up at the doctors and her GP was worried and sent her into ….. hospital for further
tests. The next day, the bad news arrived, she was diagnosed as having ….. breast cancer and
would need ….. urgent treatment. Fortunately, she was a fighter, and after a long battle, she
was completely cured. ….. doctor brown received many ….. cards from well-wishers in …..
constituency he represented, and all the people they knew were relieved to hear of Ms.
brown's recovery.
As a result, doctor Brown has decided to slow down his activities, and he took a whole month
off to take his wife on a cruise on the Mediterranean. Ms. brown puts her recovery down to
her strong Christian faith and since leaving ….. hospital, she has started going to ….. church
regularly. " An experience like this certainly helps put ….. things into perspective," she told
journalists.
25
Summary technique
Writing summaries is a good exercise for several reasons :
1) it will force you to read an article closely to understand the points the author is
actually trying to make and not just the points you expect him to make.
2) it will make you more aware of how a newspaper article is structured : how a
journalist organizes material, develops his or her points, and moves from one point to
another.
3) it will make you aware of the importance given to different parts of an article, enabling
you to distinguish between key points, examples used to illustrate these points, and
digressions.
In writing a summary, make sure that you grasp the main trend of thought in the article you
are summing up.
Above all, you need to understand the article's organization clearly. To help you, concentrate
on these three closely
related tasks :
a) identify key sentences (underline them as you read) : often in the first paragraph the
journalist will give a potted version of the major point made by the whole article) ; and topic
sentences (usually making a point at the start of a paragraph which is developed in the rest of
the paragraph).
b) look for the author's own compact summaries, either at the beginning or end of a passage,
or at points of transition.
c) finally, express in your own words important points that seem to be implied by the author
but not explicitly stated in any sentence (remembering, however, that your purpose is to report
what is said, not to interpret it).
You should attempt to reduce explanation and illustration to the essential minimum :
d) omit any repetition, for example passages that restate a point to clarify or emphasize it.
e) drastically condense lengthy details, examples, statistics - but do not omit information or
examples that are necessary to a clear understanding of the summarized work.
f) be specific whenever possible.
g) avoid quoting the text or using sentences starting "the author says that…" or "in the
author's opinion…".
26
Unless the original article is already severely condensed, a summary of about one-third of the
length of the original can usually keep the essential points. However, in reducing the wordcount, avoid the temptation to oversimplify the text or even worse to misrepresent the author.
Be careful to keep the essential conditions or distinctions.
Finally, try to retain the relative emphasis of the original - give more space to a point treated
at length than to one mentioned in passing.
Article
Cameron: we'll stick to Plan A, despite IMF warning on economy
David Cameron insisted today that the Government will stick with its economic strategy
despite warnings that the economy is set to shrink by 0.4% this year.
From Heraldscotland.com
October 9, 2012
The Prime Minister admitted that Britain faces a "very slow healing process" after the
International Monetary Fund downgraded its previous forecast of 0.2% growth.
But he dismissed calls to change course to boost growth and adopt a "Plan B" and vowed to
make sure "Plan A" was "firing on all cylinders".
Mr Cameron said: "The IMF also say we shouldn't abandon our plans of making reductions in
government spending and also, regrettably in some cases, putting up some taxes to get on top
of our debt and our deficit.
"So it's not Plan B that we need. What we are doing is making sure that every part of Plan A
is firing on all cylinders."
He added: "These are difficult times but the worst thing to do when you have got a problem of
too much spending, too much borrowing and too much debts is to do what Labour say and
have more borrowing and more debt. You can't borrow your way out of a debt crisis."
Earlier, the IMF said Britain should defer spending cuts planned for next year if growth turns out to be
much weaker than forecast
The IMF said Britain's deficit-cutting plans were already behind forecast, but that Chancellor George
Osborne should be prepared to slow them further in the short term if other measures failed to boost
demand.
Its budget assessment came hours after it sharply downgraded Britain's growth outlook, predicting the
economy would shrink 0.4% this year, before growing by a tepid 1.1% in 2013.
27
The reports will make uncomfortable reading for Mr Osborne, who will unveil updated growth and
budget forecasts on December 5. Many economists already believe he will struggle to meet his goals of
eliminating the structural budget deficit within five years, and putting net debt as a share of GDP on a
downward path by 2015.
The IMF said a first line of defence against weaker growth would be for the Bank of England to loosen
monetary policy and for the government to allow total unemployment benefit payments to rise if
joblessness increased.
But if that failed to spur growth, Mr Osborne should postpone some of the cuts planned under his
flagship austerity programme to future years, it added.
"If growth should fall significantly below current ... projections, countries with room for manoeuvre
should smooth their planned adjustment over 2013 and beyond. This includes ... the United Kingdom,"
the IMF said. It gave a similar message in May, when it forecast 2.0% growth for 2013.
Britain's economy entered recession late last year, and the IMF said it faced headwinds from
government austerity and private-sector indebtedness.
But Mr Osborne rejected any change to his fiscal policy in a speech yesterday at the Conservative
Party's annual conference.
"Our critics would gamble everything ... on the dubious idea that a few billion more of spending would
dramatically improve the fortunes of the trillion-and-a-half pound British economy," he told fellow
party members, vowing more welfare cuts.
SUMMARY
Great Britain and IMF disagree
David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, insisted on Wednesday that his Goverment will
not change its economic strategy to fight the world crisis despite warnings from
theInternational Money Fund (IMF).
The IMF downgraded its previous forecast of 0,2% growth and warnt Britain its economy is
set to shrink to 0,4% in 2012 before growing by a tepid 1,1% in 2013. They said Britain
should defer spending cuts planned for next year if growth turns out to be much weaker than
forecast. A first line of defense would be for the Bank of England to loosen monetary policy
and for the government to allow total unemployment benefit payments to rise if joblessness
increased.
Mr Cameron answered : «It’s not Plan B that we need . What we are doing is making sure
thatevery part of Plan A is firing on all cylinders.» The Chancellor of Exchequer George
Osborne also rejected any change to his fiscal policy in a speech the same day at the
Conservative Party’s annual conference, vowing more welfare cuts.
28
Chapter 2 : English press, American press: what are the differences?
Focus on The British printed press
It is difficult to overstate the importance of national newspapers in the United Kingdom. It is
enough to look at a few statistics to show the great influence they have over the British
people. Over 12 million copies of the 10 major British national dailies are sold every day, and
when you consider that there are on average three readers for every copy sold and that the
population of Great Britain was officially estimated (October 2011) more than 62 million
people in 2010, it only takes a bit of quick arithmetic to work out that well over a half of the
population regularly reads a national paper.
There are several factors which explain the immense popularity of the press in Britain, the
most important of which
is probably the diversity of newspapers on offer. There is a newspaper to appeal to every taste
and every social class. Most political opinions are also catered for. Although the press
traditionally has a right-wing bias with many papers openly backing the Conservative Party,
there has recently been a shift in support towards the Labour Party, with notably Rupert
Murdoch’s The Sun and The Times giving their backing to Tony Blair’s 1997 electoral
campaign. However, many say that this has more to do with New Labour's shift to the right
than with a massive shift to the left by the media.
Let us now have a closer look at the papers which are delivered to people's doors every
morning. Broadly, British dailies can be split up into three general categories. The popular or
tabloids newspapers, which have by far the highest circulation figures, target a largely
working-class readership, who often have little time to devote to reading. Consequently, the
articles are short and the style of journalism is direct, with short sentences leaving little room
for nuance. Although politics and economics are covered, it is often in a cursory way, and
more newspaper space is given to articles on gossip or scandals concerning people in the
public eye. In these down-market newspapers, much importance is also given to colour
photography to make them more eye-catching, or make them 'jump off the shelf at you', so to
speak. They also include regular features such as the topless "page three girls", horoscopes,
competitions offering considerable prizes and comic strips. According to the Audit Bureau of
Circulations (source : Documentation Française), the main tabloids were in December 2011
The Sun with 2,779 million copies a day, The Daily Mail (1,943 million) and The Daily
Mirror (1,090 million).
At the other end of the scale are the quality dailies which appeal to an intellectual minority.
Some were called “broadsheets” because of the size of their pages, but for economic reasons,
many of them, like the Times, chose a smaller size, like the tabloids. These dailies sell several
hundred thousands copies every day : The Daily Telegraph (619.000), The Times (440.000)
and The Guardian (250.000). A quick look at the front page would be enough to enable us to
distinguish these papers from their more down-market counterparts. Whereas the cover of The
Sun will typically be made up of a large headline in bold type, a large colour photograph and
29
a short article, the cover of The Times will contain one small colour photograph and five or
six news items. Although the broadsheets have traditionally been more concerned with
political and economic news, they too, in a bid to attract a wider audience, have been obliged
to include more popular features, such as competitions and gossip columns.
The final category of newspapers are the middle-market dailies, such as The Daily Mail and
The Daily Express, which have a tabloid format, but which give more emphasis to serious
news than the other tabloids. The former sells around 2 million copies a day, and the latter
just over 610.000.
The British press is a self-governing industry and the freedom of the press is considered to be
an inviolable principle. However, this can lead to abuse, and there are many cases of
celebrities being dogged by the press who want to find out every last detail about their private
lives. In order to combat this abuse, there have been calls for the government to vote in strict
new laws on the protection of privacy. These calls reached a head after the alleged role of the
paparazzi in the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales. But the huge scandal of the weekly
tabloid News of The World owned by the American tycoon Rupert Murdoch (The Times, The
Sun, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News Channel) was a lot worse for the British press
reputation. His executives were found guilty of acting illegally by gaining information
between 2005 and 2007 through phone hacking by their journalists and private investigators
who listened into the private telephone conversations and voicemails of around 3.000 public
figures, according to The Guardian in July 2009. On the 7th of July 2011, it was the end of the
168-year old News of the World.
30
Vocabulary
English
To back
bias
a bid
in bold type
to cater for
circulation figures
columns
Comic strips
counterparts
cursory
daily
to devote
down - market
eye-catching
feature
front page
gossip
headline
to hound
to overstate
public eye (to be in the)
to reach a head
readership
shift
to target
topless
French
soutenir
Parti pris
(ici) une tentative
en caractères gras
satisfaire
le tirage
les colonnes
les bandes dessinées
les homologues
hâtif
quotidien
consacrer
populaire
accrocheur
une rubrique qui paraît régulièrement
la "une"
les potins, les ragots
gros titre, manchette
traquer
exagérer
être bien connu du public
atteindre (son) comble
ensemble de lecteurs
changement, revirement
cibler
Les seins nus
31
Voici un fait d’actualité qui a la particularité d’avoir été illustré par les deux mêmes photos
strictement identiques à la Une de toute la presse en Grande Bretagne.
Cette unanimité est assez rare pour être soulignée et cela vous donne l’occasion de visualiser
ci-dessous toutes les Unes des principaux journaux britanniques.
Le fait d’actualité est le suivant : deux femmes policiers ont été tuées lors d'une chasse à
l'homme. Le présumé coupable a été arrêté. Les policières britanniques n'étaient pas armées.
32
33
34
Focus on the American printed press
Fifteen years after the Declaration of Independence of the thirteen American colonies, which
were then at war with Britain, on July 4, 1776, the freedom of the press was clearly
guaranteed in 1791 with the First Amendment to the American Constitution written by
Thomas Jefferson. It said : «Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.»
The first newspaper in what would become the United States appeared in Boston on
September 25, 1690 when Benjamin Harris published «Public Occurrences, Both Foreign and
Domestic». The «Boston New-Letter » followed, published on April 24, 1704 by John
Campbell, a bookseller and postmaster. In the early years of its publication most of the news
was about the intrigues of English politics, picked from the British newspapers, and the
European wars.
The first newspapers in Boston
After Congress approved the Declaration of Independence and it was first printed by John
Dunlap of Philadelphia the same day, on July 4, 1776, printers throughout the new nation
quickly produced their own versions as copies of Dunlap’s broadside were taken by land and
see from Philadelphia. The first newspaper printing of the Declaration was in Benjamin
Towner’s «Pennsylvania Evening Post» on July 6, 1776.
Pulitzer versus Hearst
There were forty-three newspapers in the United States when the treaty of peace with the
British was signed in 1783. They were around 1.200 in 1835. The end of the nineteenth
century saw the fierce rivalry between the two great publishers, Joseph Pulizer (1847-1911)
with the St Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World, still famous all over the world with
the Pulitzer Prizes, and William Randoph Hearst (1863-1951) who built the nation’s largest
newspaper chain and one of the biggest in the world, starting with the San Francisco
Examiner and the New York Journal. He is the main character of the unforgettable film
“Citizen Kane” with Orson Welles. Both greatly influenced the new American journalism
with very serious and accurate reporting and eye-catching headlines, even if they were
sometimes accused of sensationalizing the news to sell more copies.
The Pulitzer Prizes, established and endowed by Columbia University Graduate School of
Journalism founder Joseph Pulitzer, are American awards regarded as the highest national
honor in print journalism, literary achievements and musical composition. Prizes are awarded
annually in 21 categories by an independent panel. The journalism categories in 2012 :
Breaking news photography, Breaking news reporting, Commentary, Criticism, Editorial
cartooning, Editorial writing, Explanatory reporting, Feature photography, Feature writing,
International reporting, investigative reporting, Local reporting, National reporting,
Public Service. The first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded on June 4, 1917.
www.journalism.columbia.edu/page/164-pulitzer-prizes/165
35
From the Pulitzer timeline: 2012
Public Service: The Philadelphia Inquirer. Exposing violence committed by children against children.
In February 2010, according to the official US Census Bureau, there were 1.397 daily
newspapers and 919 Sunday papers. The figures were respectively 1.748 and 586 in 1970 and
1.480 and 917 in 2000. Total daily circulation which stood at 62,3 million in 1990, 62,5
million in 2000, fell to 43,4 million in 2010, a decline of 30%. Sunday circulation fell by
about the same percentage.
Except a few daily newspapers like USA Today which started in 1982 with an average
circulation of 1.817.446 as of March, 3, 2012 (source: Audit Bureau of Circulations USA),
just behind Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal, founded in 1889, US number one with a
circulation of 2.118.315, also read and praised all over the world by businessmen, most of the
American papers are focused on the regional and local news in their State and their main
towns.
Even if they’re having less and less subscribers since the beginning of the 2000’s because of
the internet explosion and the crisis, you can still appreciate getting your favourite daily
thrown into to your garden by the newspaper boy or girl on their bike. That’s the American
way of life. If the competition between the written press and the internet is harsh, the pleasure
of reading one’s huge Sunday paper with its dozen sections and one hundred pages at least is
still a must !
36
The quality of American journalism
One of the reasons why papers are struggling hard in this country is the quality of the
American journalism. One unique aspect of US newspapers is their detached stance and
behavior towards news and politics. They protect their independence and are proud of it.
Reporters and editors find an ethical responsibility to be accurate and fair in reporting news.
Contrary to the French press, most newspapers respect a strict separation between the news
and the editorial pages. It’s clearer for the readers ! They also maintain a true separation of
power between the newsroom and the business office. That’s the way to express newspapers'
editorial independence and avoid influence from advertising and politics. And last but not
least, American journalists protect their sources and are ready to go to jail for that.
The example of the Washington Post’s heroes Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward is the best
for the younger generation of journalists. Their two-year investigation in the Watergate
Scandal which led in August 1974 to the resignation of Richard Nixon, the American
President, and to the conviction of more than forty people, was a good piece of journalism.
The name of their main source was never exposed and the world knew on May 2005 only that
Mark Felt, the FBI deputy director, was Deep Throat, their number one ally.
Besides the Washington Post, the Capital newspaper, which had great financial problems like
the glorious Los Angeles Times on the West Coast, and like it try and rely on its website,
USA Today, the country’s only truly national newspaper and its new style of writing, and the
Wall Street Journal and its immense influence on Wall Street, and thus the world, by far the
most influential newspaper is still the New York Times. The Big Apple daily has set the
standards for quality journalism. Although it is not the largest-circulation daily in the country
(third with 1.586.757 as of March 31, 2012, with a stunning 73% increase since March 2011)
but number one in the Sundays (2.003.247 with a 49,50% increase in one year), its influence
on the intellectual and political world is considerable. The NYT is the newspaper of record for
many Americans.
37
Who killed the newspaper ?
Among the others in the Top 10 US Daily Newspapers (same source), we find the tabloid
New York Daily News, the San Jose Mercury News, the New York Post, another tabloid and
the two Chicago dailies, the Sun-Times and the Tribune (See next page the complete list of
the Top 25).
In fact, all the American newspapers suffered a great deal – some died like the old Rocky
Mountain News, founded in 1859 -, and are still suffering from the new ways to get
informed, but they’re all fighting to survive and continue.
To understand the reasons for this unprecedented crisis, let’s read what The Economist, the
respected British magazine, wrote on the 7th of July 2011 from its print edition with this title
“A little local difficulty - American newspapers are in trouble, but in emerging markets the
news industry is roaring ahead”: “Who killed the newspaper?” That was the question posed
on the cover of The Economist in 2006. It was, perhaps, a little premature. But there is no
doubt that newspapers in many parts of the world are having a hard time.
In America, where they are in the deepest trouble, the person often blamed is Craig
Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, a network of classified-advertising websites that is
mostly free to use. Mr Newmark has been called a “newspaper killer” and “the exploder of
journalism”, among other things. The popularity of Craigslist, the ninth most popular website
in America, has contributed to a sharp decline in newspapers' classified-advertising revenue, a
business where many newspapers have had comfortable local monopolies for decades (…)”
It added : “The internet-driven fall in classified-ad revenue is only one of the reasons for the
decline of newspapers in America, which started decades ago. The advent of television news,
and then cable television, lured readers and advertisers away. Then the internet appeared in
the 1990s. A new generation of readers grew up getting their news from television and the
web, now the two leading news sources in America (the web overtook newspapers in 2010
and is already the most popular source among the under-30s)”.
Heavy reliance on advertising
According to the magazine, “these technological shifts hit American newspapers particularly
hard because of their heavy reliance on advertising. According to the OECD, a club of
developed countries (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), in 2008
38
America's newspapers collectively relied on advertising for 87% of their total revenue, more
than any other country surveyed. The 2008-09 recession made things worse. Between 2007
and 2009 newspaper revenues in France fell by 4%, in Germany by 10% and in Britain by
21%. In America they plummeted by 30%. On top of that, a series of mergers and acquisitions
in the American newspaper business left many companies saddled with huge debts and
pushed several into bankruptcy”.
The Economist conclusion : ”For American regional and metro-area newspapers, further job
cuts, closures and consolidation now seem likely. In retrospect it is clear that the industry
became too dependent on local advertising monopolies.”
TO READ
The State of the News Media 2012 – The PIEW Research Center’s Project for Excellence in
Journalism www.journalism.org/
TO SEE the DVD « A la Une du New York Times”
Synopsis :
En 1896, le New York Times adopte le slogan "Toutes les informations se
doivent d'être imprimées". Aujourd'hui, Twitter et WikiLeaks bouleversent la diffusion des
informations. La multiplication des blogs et la diminution conséquente des achats
d'espaces publicitaires menacent la pérennité de la presse écrite. "À la une du New York
Times", capte l'univers d'un journal qui tente de préserver son avenir. Brûlant d'actualité,
ce documentaire pose un regard franc et direct sur une situation inquiétante et
s'intéresse aux fondements du journalisme. La presse écrite va-t-elle résister face au
rouleau compresseur Internet ?...
http://www.rue89.com/2011/11/22/la-une-du-new-york-times-voyage-dans-un-grand-journal226800
Analysis
The future of the newspaper online sites
Digital transition of newspapers versus free public news
July 18, 2012
Szabolcs (Szabi) Toth has written a compelling study about the extent to which publiclyfunded news companies with their online news sites can become a threat to traditional
39
newspapers already suffering from multiple stresses to their business model. In his research
paper, “Common Ground – Is the successful digital transition of newspapers threatened by
free public news ?” Szabi first examines the apparent threat represented by the BBC website
(and their mobile applications) to newspaper online sites (and their IOS or Android apps).
He carries out a detailed analysis of the different digital strategies of several UK and US
newspapers, including the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Guardian, the (London)
Times, and a new contender in the online distribution business in the USA, Press+.
This is followed by discussion of the decision in January 2011 by MTI (Magyar Távirati Iroda
- the oldest Hungarian news agency and one of the oldest news agencies in the world) to offer
its content free on its website. The decision was met with criticism not unfamiliar in the UK
that it would represent unfair competition to privately owned companies and – because it was
free – would create a media landscape shaped more effectively by the government.
Szabi shows that a year after MTI went free with its services, they do not (yet) play in the
same league as Index and Origo, the two largest news websites in Hungary
In conclusion, Szabi argues that here are myriads of digital strategies (some with the promise
of success) out there. But all of them have a building block they would utterly fail without. It
is the paper’s strong and peculiar content.
He ends by saying that it does not really matter in the end if general news is available free
online from public news services. “This is because people do not simply want news. They
want stories they can identify with, they want news sites that enable them to show their
colors.”
Source : Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
40
Fin (ou presque) des relectures de citations au NY Times
Les journalistes doivent-ils faire relire les interviews et les citations, avant publication, aux
personnes qu'ils ont interrogées ? Le New York Times vient de bannir cette pratique... sauf si cela
lui interdit des scoops.
source http://www.arretsurimages.net/vite-dit.php le 21/09/2012
Non, les personnes interrogées par le New York
Times ne pourront plus relire leurs citations avant
publication de l'interview. C'est ce qu'a annoncé hier
la directrice de rédaction du prestigieux quotidien
américain, Jill Abramson, dans une note rapportée
par la médiatrice du journal (également relayée par
le blog de Jim Romenseko, observateur régulier des
médias américains). "A partir de maintenant, nous
voulons avoir une ligne claire sur ce point", indique
Abramson. "Les journalistes devront refuser une
interview si une source pose comme condition la
relecture à postériori des citations pour les examiner,
les approuver ou les modifier".
Pour Abramson, cette pratique "provoque l'ingérence" des chargés de communications et "risque de donner aux
lecteurs une mauvaise impression, celle que nous cédons à nos sources trop de contrôle sur un article".
Abramson reconnaît que le journal "va perdre des interviews" à cause de cette nouvelle règle. Selon elle,
l'approbation des citations est tellement ancrées que les interviews sans seront vues comme risquées par les
hommes politiques. Néanmoins, elle modère fortement la portée de sa décision en précisant que des "exceptions
à la règle" sont possibles. Notamment dans le cas où une source porteuse d'"informations cruciales" exigerait la
relecture de ses citations. Autrement dit, en cas de scoop potentiel, le quotidien y regardera à deux fois...
Cette décision survient après la parution en juillet d'un article du New York Times expliquant que les interviews de
Barack Obama étaient toujours relues et approuvées par les services du président avant publication. Cette
procédure est courante aux Etats-Unis comme en France
En bannissant la relecture de citations, Le New York Times rejoint d'autres médias, tels que The National Journal
et Reuters. A @si, nous ne rejetons pas les demandes de relecture de citations, mais les modifications se font au
cas par cas, et très rarement. Si nous estimons qu'une personne interrogée s'autocensure à postériori, nous
pouvons décider de ne pas publier du tout sa citation.
41
September 20, 2012, 3:53 pm 105 Comments
In New Policy, The Times Forbids After-the-Fact ‘Quote Approval’
By MARGARET SULLIVAN
4:32 p.m. | Updated Full memo included at the end of this post.
Related Article
The Times Needs a Policy, Soon
The public editor pushes for The Times to adopt a “quote approval” policy.
The New York Times is drawing “a clear line” against the practice of news sources being allowed to approve
quotations in stories after the fact.
The practice, known as quote approval, “puts so much control over the content of journalism in the wrong place,”
the executive editor Jill Abramson told me in an interview. “We need a tighter policy.”
Times editors have been working on the policy for months, she noted — ever since a July story by Jeremy Peters
revealed the practice as a widespread one that included many reporters.
A memorandum on Thursday says that “demands for after-the-fact quote approval by sources and their press
aides have gone too far.”
“The practice risks giving readers a mistaken impression that we are ceding too much control over a story to our
sources,” it says. “In its most extreme form, it invites meddling by press aides and others that goes far beyond the
traditional negotiations between reporter and source over the terms of an interview.”
It includes this firm directive: “So starting now, we want to draw a clear line on this. Citing Times policy, reporters
should say no if a source demands, as a condition of an interview, that quotes be submitted afterward to the
source or a press aide to review, approve or edit.”
Ms. Abramson said that she never wants to put obstacles to news-gathering in front of reporters but that “anodyne
or generic quotes that are scrubbed or changed don’t add anything” to stories.
If the practice were allowed to continue, she said, “you will only see more control and manipulation” by news
sources in the future. In making this move, The Times joins news organizations like The National Journal and
Reuters in opposing quote approval; Reuters stopped short of an outright ban.
Ms. Abramson, who has many years of Washington reporting and editing in her own background, including a stint
as Washington bureau chief, said she understands that “we’ll lose interviews” because of the new policy.
Interviews without quote approval “will be seen as too risky” by news sources, she said. “The practice is so
ingrained.”
She said there could be exceptions to the rule if there were critical information that would otherwise be denied to
the reader, and if the exception were discussed with a senior editor in advance.
42
Believing that such a directive might be coming — and responding to a Monday column by David Carr and my
blog calling for a clear policy — a number of reporters have been in touch with me this week to express their
points of view.
One who provided thoughtful commentary was the White House correspondent Peter Baker. He wrote:
As much as I hate the practice, it grew out of a laudable desire on the part of newspapers to stop using so many
blind quotes in White House stories. As I recall, it was during the late Clinton era and editors pushed us to go
back to sources who spoke on background and get permission to use their names with specific quotes we were
planning to use anyway but anonymously. Sources generally found that being on the record was not so
worrisome (or career-threatening) once they knew what we actually wanted to use and they often agreed. As a
result, stories that traditionally were filled with anonymous quotes began having more named sources. This was a
benefit to our readers. Over time, sources began to take advantage of this and institutionalize it to the point that
they came up with this name for it, quote approval. It’s grown way too common and has become an objectionable
means of control by too many people who should frankly just talk on the record, especially paid spokesmen. But
it’s also a practice with tangible benefits for our readers and we should consider the trade-offs before making any
hard-and-fast rules.
The memo recognizes that distinction:
We understand that talking to sources on background – not for attribution – is often valuable to reporting, and
unavoidable. Negotiation over the terms of using quotations, whenever feasible, should be done as part of the
same interview — with an “on the record” coda, or with an agreement at the end of the conversation to put some
parts on the record. In some cases, a reporter or editor may decide later, after a background interview has taken
place, that we want to push for additional on-the-record quotes. In that situation, where the initiative is ours, this is
acceptable. Again, quotes should not be submitted to press aides for approval or edited after the fact.
Ms. Abramson put it succinctly: When possible, “it should be part of the same transaction.” She also said she
realizes and sympathizes with the concerns of reporters who don’t want to lose one of their ways of getting
information to readers.
As the memo states:
We know our reporters face ever-growing obstacles in Washington, on Wall Street and elsewhere. We want to
strengthen their hand in pushing back against the quote-approval process, which all of us dislike. Being able to
cite a clear Times policy should aid their efforts and insulate them from some of the pressure they face.
In the end, Ms. Abramson said, it is a control issue. “The journalist shouldn’t be a supplicant,” she added.
The policy strikes me as both sensible and necessary.
Full Memo
Despite our reporters’ best efforts, we fear that demands for after-the-fact “quote approval” by sources and their
press aides have gone too far. The practice risks giving readers a mistaken impression that we are ceding too
much control over a story to our sources. In its most extreme forms, it invites meddling by press aides and others
that goes far beyond the traditional negotiations between reporter and source over the terms of an interview.
So starting now, we want to draw a clear line on this. Citing Times policy, reporters should say no if a source
demands, as a condition of an interview, that quotes be submitted afterward to the source or a press aide to
review, approve or edit.
We understand that talking to sources on background — not for attribution — is often valuable to reporting, and
unavoidable. Negotiation over the terms of using quotations, whenever feasible, should be done as part of the
same interview — with an “on the record” coda, or with an agreement at the end of the conversation to put some
parts on the record. In some cases, a reporter or editor may decide later, after a background interview has taken
place, that we want to push for additional on-the-record quotes. In that situation, where the initiative is ours, this is
acceptable. Again, quotes should not be submitted to press aides for approval or edited after the fact.
43
We realize that at times this approach will make our push for on-the-record quotes even more of a challenge. But
in the long run, we think resetting the bar, and making clear that we will not agree to put after-the-fact quoteapproval in the hands of press aides, will help in that effort.
We know our reporters face ever-growing obstacles in Washington, on Wall Street and elsewhere. We want to
strengthen their hand in pushing back against the quote-approval process, which all of us dislike. Being able to
cite a clear Times policy should aid their efforts and insulate them from some of the pressure they face.
Any potential exceptions to this approach should be discussed with a department head or a masthead editor.
44
panorama des Unes de la presse US le 22 juillet 2012
Un forcené tire sur les spectateurs dans une salle de cinéma, qui projette dans la nuit de
jeudi à vendredi le dernier Batman : 12 morts et près de 60 blessés. La presse
américaine et internationale a eu le temps de choisir une photo pour son édition de
samedi. Une image s'est imposée, elle domine les Unes, aux États-Unis comme dans le
reste du monde, sauf en France, où les quotidiens nationaux n'ont pas fait leur titre sur
ce drame.
Tom Sullivan serre sa famille dans ses bras, il cherche son fils Alex 27 ans, qui fêtait son
anniversaire ce jour-là : une image signée Barry Gutierrez diffusée par l'agence AP. Le tueur
présumé James Holmes, un étudiant âgé de 24 ans, a été arrêté. Il est allé au cinéma avec 4
armes : fusil d'assaut et fusil à pompe, plus deux pistolets Glock, achetés en toute légalité sans
oublier, une réserve de 6 000 cartouches commandées sur Internet. Il était équipé d'un gilet
pare-balles et d'un masque à gaz. Il aurait déclaré aux policiers, qui ont par ailleurs trouvé des
explosifs dans son appartement piégé, "Je suis le Joker" l’ennemi de Batman.
45
46
47
48
49
Espagne, Grande-Bretagne
50
Italie, Argentine
51
Brésil, République Dominicaine
Source : http://www.arretsurimages.net/contenu.php?id=5127
52
Chapter 3 : headline news
Good headlines are a crucial part of journalism, and newspapers are constantly competing to
find the catchiest, most attractive article to get the readers interested. But writing a good
headline is not always as simple as it appears, since there are several imperatives which must
be met.
The headline must catch the eye of the reader and make him / her want to read more.
Concision is all-important. In other words headlines never use three words when they can use
one.
All small grammatical words (articles, auxiliary verbs) are suppressed since they are not
essential to the meaning.
Ex. School opened by Queen = A school has been opened by the Queen
However, care must be taken to avoid ambiguity, as this very concise style can lead to
hilarious results (see section on ambiguous headlines, exercise 24).
Ex. Stolen Painting found by tree (Was it found next to a tree or was it a tree which found it?).
An intelligent reader ought to be able to deduce something about the subject matter of the
article from the headline (without immediately knowing exactly what it is about).
When writing headlines for Internet news, it is also important that your headlines contain key
words so that someone using a search engine will be able to find your article without trouble.
So how does one go about writing a catchy headline ? Well, a number of techniques are
commonly used, and most catchy headlines use one of the following :
1) Social or Cultural References
When a journalist uses this technique, he adapts a well-known social or cultural reference to
fit a news story. Often,
(s)he is obliged to slightly change the words to make it appropriate. Many sorts of references
are used, the most common being biblical references, film / song or TV titles and literary
references. Obviously, a journalist must adapt his references to his audience, so literary
references are more often found in the broadsheets, whereas allusions to popular TV shows
are more likely to be found in the tabloids.
53
Here is a selection of headlines which use this technique :
Super Cally Go Ballistic Celtic
"Supercallifragilisticexpialladocious" in
Are
Atrocious
(reference
to
the
song
"Mary Poppins") - Headline from The Sun when Super Cally (football team Inverness
CaledonianThistle) surprisingly beat top Scottish team Celtic in the Scottish Cup.
And Spy will Always Love You (double reference to Whitney HOUSTON Song "And I Will
Always Love You" and
the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me") - another Sun headline announcing Whitney
Houston as a bond girl in the new James Bond film.
The Phoney Election (Reference to the Phoney War - the period in World War Two in Britain
when there was no
bombing) - a Times headline about Labour putting off the General Elections.
It's Draining Men (reference to the Weather Girls' song "It's Raining Men") - A Daily Mirror
headline about how difficult relationships are for men.
Screening - whose risk is it anyway ? (reference to game show, "Whose Line is it anyway ?")
- An Independent headline about screening.
2) Proverbs
Reference to well-known proverbs are also in common usage in British daily newspapers.
Here are three examples
form The Daily Telegraph :
Silver Lining for Catalogue Firm (proverb : Every cloud has a silver lining) - article about
online shopping.
A Friend in Need helps a Good Friend Indeed (proverb : A friend in need is a friend indeed.) Mr Clinton helps
Jessie Jackson in return for his help during the Lewinsky scandal.
Once Bitten, Tourists are Staying Away (proverb : Once bitten, twice shy) - Tourists are not
coming back to Scotland because of midge bites.
54
3) Alliteration
Headline writers can never resist alliteration and it can be an effective technique in attracting
the readers attention.
Here are some examples :
Boy Blinded by Bomb So Brave (The Sun)
No One will Take Blame for Burial Blunder (The Times)
Hillary the survivor is Senate Star (The Times)
4) Puns
Puns or plays on words can be effective, since they often contain double references and so are
very concise. Here are some examples :
Luton University is Just the Job for Unemployment (The Times) - (play on words on the
expression "just the job" which means "exactly what is needed" but is also an obvious
reference to employment.)
A Climate of Despair (Time Magazine) - a story from the American weekly about the
environment.
Strip Savile of “Sir” (The Sun front page, October 8, 2012 ) – a story about the former BBC
TV star Jimmy Savile (died in 2011 at 84) accused of abusing dozens of children for decades.
Play on the word “strip” which has several meanings, to undress or to deprive. In this case it
means “to strip someone of his title” (knighthood for Savile), rights, etc.
5) Initials
To shorten headlines and make them stronger and attractive, initials are often used. Let’s
notice that’s a lot more frequent than in French press headlines.
Examples :
West’s fury as Russia blocks UN over Syria (Daily Mail, July 20, 2012)
Tories attack PM over vow to keep us in EU (Daily Mail, July 20, 2012)
PM : we need cut in EU migrants (The Sun, October 8, 2012)
USADA on Lance (Armstrong) : “Beyond any doubt (USA Today, 0ct 12, 2012)
In Miss., diners break bread, racial barriers (same source, Oct 12, 2012)
DfT “could be sued over growth forecasts” (The Times, Oct 8, 2012)
Fear : Burned investors could lose faith in ETFs (same source)
EDF demands subsidy guarantee to build new reactor (same source)
55
Translation : UN = United Nations, PM = Prime minister, EU = European Union, USDA =
US Anti-Doping Agency) , Miss. = Mississipi (Mo. = Missouri; D.C. = District of Columbia
with Washington, the federal capitol, Wash. = Washington State with Olympia, the state
capitol, etc), DfT = Department for Transport, ETFs = Exchange traded funds, EDF =
Electricité de France (en français), etc.
6) Short or long headlines ?
The students in journalism in France and all over the world are taught that the perfect
headline should be informative, understandable, unforgettable, good seller… and as short
as possible ! In the anglo-saxon countries, Britain and USA, it seems that freedom is the
rule but the priority is the result : to sell the story ! What do you prefer, short or long
headlines ?
Some examples of short headlines :
In USA, more choose to live alone (USA Today, 0ctober 12-14 2012, about Society)
Arrest in grenade-on-plane incident (same source, terrorism)
Two homers, one hero (same source, baseball)
Colsaerts flexes “Muscles” (same source, golf)
Epidural shots questioned (same source, health)
Who cares about Congress ? (same source, politics)
A knight to forget (The Sun, October 8, 2012, Jimmy Savile scandal , see above)
I’ve Scotta do better (same source, a word play with the Ipswich football player’s name,
Scott Loach, football)
We’re Beck in business (same source, same technique with the Huddersfield football
player’s name Jermaine Beckford, football).
Some examples of long headlines :
Osborne’s £10bn welfare cuts mean no housing benefit for school-leavers (The Times,
October 8 2012) : 4 lines/three columns
Go green or we’ll quit Britain, energy firms warn chancellor (same source) : 2 lines/2
columns
Britons with foreign properties and footballers are next in taxman’s sights (The Times,
September 24, 2012) : 2 lines/5 columns, tabloid format
56
Film investment company might not have been so ingenious for its backers after all (same
source) : 2 lines/3 columns
Hamilton forced to sift through debris of shattered hopes (same source) : 3 lines/3
columns
Looking back to the Fiftees for a glamourous waste of time (same source, 1 line/5
columns)
Say what ? For a work day off, some employees say anything (USA Today, October 1214 2012) 2 lines/2 columns
Largest Toyota recall is new black eye (same source, 1 line/4 columns). To be noticed :
the expression “black eye” = failure, mistake, big problem.
It’s obvious the longest headlines seem more understandable than the short ones. Does
that means they’re better ? After all, the technique is an editorial choice.
57
Focus on the grammar of headlinese in three easy lessons
So, as we have seen, headlines do not respect standard English grammar, but rather have a
grammar of their own which usually targets as concise a result as possible. Here are some of
the particular grammatical rules which govern headlines (all examples are taken from the 2nd
of June 2009 edition of The Guardian :
1) A headline does not have to be a sentence and often there is no verb, but rather a
succession of adjectives, prepositions and nouns:
Eg. Two with swine flu in intensive care (Two victims of swine flu are being treated in
intensive care)
Discontent in Egypt's heart (an article about the Egyptian people's with their politicians)
Sunderland in talks with Bruce over manager's job (Sunderland football club is having talks
with Steve Bruce about the possibility of him becoming their new manager)
2) Verb tenses are simplified as much as possible, ant the simple present is usually used:
Eg: Smith departure throws reshuffle into disarray (The resignation of Jaqui Smith from the
government has thrown the cabinet reshuffle into disarray)
Nintendo keeps it finger on the pulse (=is keeping)
Usually a verb finishing in -ed will mean a passive (with the auxiliary verb 'be' omitted)
Ex. Debris sighted in hunt for plane (debris has been seen in the search for the lost aeroplane)
Iraqi Jailed for 2004 Hassan murder (An Iraqi has been jailed for the murder of aid worker
Margaret Hassan, in 2004.
The future is expressed using an infinitive construction TO + V ('to be to + V in English
expresses a future which
is already planned). Alternatives sometimes found are SET TO + V, dUE TO + V, POISEd
TO + V (= is about to).
Ex. Obama to push through climate bill
Prince of Wales to attend D-Day celebrations in Normandy
Bruce set to swap Wigan for Sunderland
Sometimes it can be difficult (even for English speakers) to identify the verb.
58
Ex. Thousands of jobs at risk as LDV rescue stalls
Here, 'rescue' is the noun and 'stalls' is the verb (an attempt to rescue the LdV van company
has hit an obstacle), but grammatically the opposite (it could have been an article about LdV
rescuing stalls!)
3) Definite and indefinite articles are almost always omitted in headlines:
Ex. Man arrested in hunt for entrepreneur (=A man has been arrested in the hunt for an
entrepreneur) Couple make suicide leap with body of son... (A couple has made a suicide leap
with the body of their son)
NB. These examples are taken from The Guardian, a serious newspaper. In the more popular
tabloids these peculiar grammar rules are combined with journalistic slang to create headlines
which foreigners may find almost impossible to decipher.
59
Headline : a glossary
When you read headlines in the tabloids (see next chapter), you may sometimes get the
feeling that you are not reading English at all. Indeed for the sake of maximum concision, the
tabloids have developed a language all of their own. Here are one or two words or expressions
used frequently in tabloid headlines. They represent the minimum of ”journalese” you will
need to learn before being able to understand a British tabloid. However, you should bear in
mind that many of these words and expressions are often frowned upon, even within the
profession, and so should not be used in your written work.
-
babe = a good-looking young lady
-
bid = an attempt to achieve something, eg "a bid for fame"
-
blast = to strongly criticize, eg "Angry Ferguson blasts pathetic United"
-
clinch = to achieve or win something, eg "Chelsea clinch FA Cup"
-
crunch (adj) = vitally important, eg "Real face crunch match"
-
fella = man or a male partner
-
heave-ho (to give the) = to leave your partner
-
hush-hush (adj) = secret, eg "Government in hush-hush talks"
-
jinxed = unlucky
-
lash out at = to attack verbally or physically
-
nicked = arrested
-
pal = friend
-
pledge = to promise to do something, eg "government pledge to cut gas emissions"
-
poised to + verb = to be about to do or on the point of doing something - probe = an
investigation (usually into wrong-doing)
-
quit = to leave
-
quiz = to question (often as part of an investigation)
-
a romp = a spell of lively (usually sexual) play
-
scoop = to win money, eg "65-year old grandmother scoops a million"
-
shelve = to abandon (a plan, a proposal)
60
-
slam = to strongly criticize
-
sleaze = indecent or unseemly behaviour ; squalid material or conditions
-
snap = to take a photograph of
-
snap up = act quickly to obtain something
-
a split = a separation (of a celebrity couple for example)
-
squeaky clean (adj) = irreproachable
-
swoop = to act quickly to seize an opportunity
-
the Tories = the Conservative Party
-
vow (to do something) = to promise oneself to do something
-
woo = to attract a new partner
61
Chapter 4 : press freedom and invasion privacy
Can the press be too free ?
The press has always had a fine line to tread between freedom of speech and the legitimate
right of an individual to protect his private life. It is obvious that a free press is an essential
factor in a democracy, since the press provides an insight into the workings of our institutions
and acts as a sort of watchdog to check that our elected representatives are acting honestly and
with integrity. There are many examples of misappropriation of public funds or abuse of
power by politicians being brought to light, which have led to the resignation (and sometimes
prosecution, depending on the seriousness of the case) of the politician in question.
However, this freedom must not be abused (see FOCUS ON SELF-REGULATION) and it is
important that a newspaper is sure of its facts before publishing and that it respects the private
lives of individuals. However, there are times when the line between private and public lives
becomes blurred (especially in the case of celebrities). For instance, if a politician has an
extra-marital affair, should it be reported ? Some people claim that if he cheats on his wife, he
could also cheat on his country, while others believe that this kind of reporting is just
sensational and panders to the public's worst instincts. Information should be published if it is
in the public interest, but not merely because it interests the public.
As a result of alleged abuses by the press, there have been many famous libel cases. Libel is
written defamation, in other words any written or printed words or pictures (including films)
which make a false, damaging statement about a person. Unfortunately, libel actions often
give cases more publicity and result in the plaintiff's reputation being further damaged. So
often, victims of libel find themselves in a no-win situation and choose simply to ignore the
defamatory comments.
This chapter will look at the issue of the freedom of the press and individual privacy by
studying various articles concerning people in the public eye.
Focus on self-regulation
As we have already seen, the independence of the press is considered to be of paramount
importance in Great Britain, and the press has always sought to avoid any Government
legislation which would restrict this independence. However, it is obvious that there are
marks which newspapers should not overstep : the press should always main- tain high ethical
standards, and to this end, a voluntary Press Council was set up in 1953.
However, in the 1980s, many considered that some newspapers were abusing this selfregulation and were failing to respect these high ethical standards. Many also called for a law
of privacy and an automatic right of reply to be passed, as well as the creation of a statutory
press council which could enforce legal sanctions.
62
The Government appointed a committee under Sir David Calcutt QC to review the situation,
and as a result of the Calcutt Report, a new Press Complaints Commission* was set up to
replace the old Press Council. Thus, the press remains self-regulatory, but this self regulation
is based on a strict Code of Practice which sets out firm guidelines for the press to follow, and
provides a clear framework within which complaints from the public can be treated.
So the Press Complaints Commission can be seen as a sort of compromise. The press has
committed itself to maintaining higher ethical standards and to avoiding the abuses of the
1980s, but at the same time, self-regulation is maintained. The Code of Practice remains,
crucially, the industry's own code and it is reviewed periodically by a special committee of
editors, which takes into account Parliamentary comment as well as reports from the Press
Complaints Commission itself. In this way the Code is able to adapt quickly to changing
practices and technology in the industry and can respond rapidly to the concerns of readers.
Vocabulary
English
To enforce
French
appliquer
framework
un cadre
guidelines
des consignes
of paramount importance
d'une suprême importance
overstep the mark
dépasser les bornes
to pass a law
mettre en place
to seek, sought
voter une loi
to set up
chercher à
Exercice True or False ?
1) The press has to answer to the Government.
2) The Press Council was an obligation for the press.
3) The Press Complaints Commission is an obligation for the press.
4) The public's opinion is taken into account.
5) The Code of Practice is influenced by Parliamentary debate.
Correction
1) False, 2) false, 3)true, 4) true, 5) true
63
Comprehension exercises
Read these three articles below and try to answer the following questions.
Proper self-regulation works better than the law to protect privacy
Source http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2012/sep/19/privacy-medialaw
The court victory secured on behalf of Prince William and his wife certainly doesn't prove that the French privacy
law is so good that we should have one here.
Just the opposite. Closer magazine's decision to publish a set of blatantly intrusive pictures of the royal couple
illustrates the law's weakness as a brake on press misbehaviour.
It may be suggested that it is not the law itself that's the problem - it is the insufficiently punitive range of penalties
that lead France's celebrity magazine publishers and editors to defy it so regularly.
In fact, the potential penalties for offenders - according to Legal Week - are severe: one year in jail and a fine of
€45,000 (£36,000). Corporate offenders, incidentally, could be fined up to €225,000 (£180,000).
But judges in France don't impose anything like the maximum penalties. My researches suggest that no-one has
ever received a jail sentence (which, I understand, would be a suspended anyway). Instead, most offenders are
ordered to pay relatively modest fines.
Why should that be? Well, it doesn't take a moment to realise that the French judiciary are being pragmatic
because, in spite of the law, they value press freedom more than they do privacy.
As I note in my London Evening Standard column today, can you imagine the outcry if an editor or photographer
was sent to jail for invading someone's privacy?
Do we really think it would be a proportionate punishment to imprison an individual - even if he or she lacks
manners and morals - for causing another person embarrassment?
I do not doubt that some people would be only too delighted to see certain editors doing porridge, but surely they
would need to have been guilty of something more venal than publishing a picture of a topless woman?
The latest episode of royal intrusion illustrates once again the virtues of self-regulation over the law. At its best, it
works.
I agree that, as so often, it has been to the benefit of the royal family (though, behind the scenes, the Press
Complaints Commission will say that it benefits plenty of celebrities and other people caught up in news stories
too).
Of course it needs to be improved and, hopefully, Lord Justice Leveson will recommend a better system. It may
need some kind statutory backing, but it won't amount to statutory regulation.
Whatever the case, as the French experience indicates, a law would never work. Finally, let's not forget the
internet. No national law, no European-wide law, is going to prevent the downloading and uploading of material
that may well involve privacy intrusions.
Perhaps we all need to rethink our attitude to privacy in the digital age. Day by day, whether we like it or not, life is
getting more transparent.
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Questions
Do you think, like The Guardian, “ it is the insufficiently punitive range of penalties that leads
France’s celebrity magazine publishers and editors to defy so regularly the law ?
What would you propose to protect privacy ?
According to The Guardian, the French judiciary are being pragmatic because, in spite of the
law, they value press freedom more than they do privacy. Do you think it’s true ?
Do you understand this expression about “doing porridge ?” ? What does that mean ?
At the end of the text, we can read that, because of the internet, “we all need to rethink our
attitude to privacy in the digital age” (…) life is getting more transparent”. What’s your
opinion about it ?
Kate and William win first round in battle over topless photos
French magazine Closer banned from further use of holiday photos as duke and duchess press
for criminal charges
By Caroline Davies and Lisa O'Carroll
From guardian.co.uk September 18, 2012
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge won the first round in their battle for privacy on
Tuesday when a French magazine was banned from selling or reusing images taken of the
couple at a private chateau in Provence. But the war was far from over as French prosecutors
must now decide if criminal proceedings are to be brought against the magazine editor and the
photographer or photographers responsible for taking pictures of the duchess sunbathing
topless while on holiday in the south of France.
The Tribunal de Grande Instance in Nanterre, Paris, granted an injunction ordering the gossip
magazine Closer to hand over digital files of the pictures within 24 hours and preventing it
disseminating them any further, including on its website and tablet app.
The four-page ruling, which only affects Mondadori Magazines France, Closer's publisher,
also ordered it to pay €2,000 (£1,600) in legal costs. The magazine faces a €10,000 fine for
every day it fails to comply with the order. No damages were sought by the couple.
"These snapshots which showed the intimacy of a couple, partially naked on the terrace of a
private home, surrounded by a park several hundred metres from a public road, and being able
to legitimately assume that they are protected from passersby, are by nature particularly
intrusive," it said. The couple were thus subjected to this "brutal display" from the moment
the magazine's cover appeared.
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The magistrates ruled that every photograph published in France by Mondadori, the
publishing company owned by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, in future
would carry a fine, also of €10,000 per breach. But the ruling refers only to the 14 pictures
that have already been published. Closer's editor has hinted she has other, more intimate
pictures.
The ruling came as the duke and duchess were welcomed to the South Pacific country of
Tuvalu on the final leg of a nine-day tour that has been largely overshadowed by the privacy
row. Smiling through the media storm, they put on colourful grass skirts and danced at a
fateles, a traditional gathering where local communities compete in singing and dancing.
St James's Palace said the couple "welcome the judge's ruling". A source said: "They always
believed the law was broken and that they were entitled to their privacy." Maud Sobel, a
lawyer for the royal couple in Paris, described it as "a wonderful decision", adding: "We've
been vindicated."
Though pleased their civil action has succeeded, the couple have taken the rarer step of
seeking to have a much more public criminal prosecution for breach of privacy brought
against the magazine and photographer or photographers responsible.
The prosecutor will have to decide the targets for any criminal proceedings and the complaint
cites "persons unknown". But it is understood the couple want proceedings brought against
the editor of Closer, which published the photos on Friday, and whoever took the images of
the couple sunbathing at the chateau, which belongs to Lord Linley, son of the late Princess
Margaret.
A preliminary investigation was launched on Tuesday by the Paris police. Under French law
breach of privacy carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of €45,000.
This is the legal action that will truly lay down a marker, and by pursuing it the couple
indicate a determination to convey a wider message to the world and, they hope, deter
paparazzi in the future.
Their lawyers had not asked for copies of Closer magazine to be removed from shelves.
On Saturday the Irish Daily Star published the photos, leading to the editor being suspended
on Monday night pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Also on Monday, the
Mondadori-owned Italian celebrity magazine Chi rushed out a special edition with 26 pages
devoted to the candid photos of the future queen.
The couple's lawyer, Aurélien Hamelle, had told the Paris court it was necessary to block the
"highly intimate" images of the duchess without her bikini top as she was a "young woman,
not an object".
But Delphine Pando, defending Closer, said the action was a "disproportionate response" to
publication of the photographs. She added that the magazine could not control their resale as
it did not own the original images.
66
Copies of Closer magazine were doing brisk business on online auction site eBay, with one
selling for £31.01, until the site removed all listings following "strong feedback" from its
community.
Questions
How can you explain why the duke and the Duchess have taken the rare step of seeking to
have a much more public criminal prosecution for breach of privacy brought against the
magazine and photographer or photographers responsible ?
Their lawyers had not asked for copies of Closer magazine to be removed from the shelves. It
seems a bit unusual, doesn’t it ? Why ?
After Closer, the Irish Daily Star and the Italian magazine Chi published more photos. People
may think it’s a big defeat overall for Kate and William, and not such a victory against the
French magazine. What’s your opinion about it ?
Kate topless photos published by Swedish magazine
From guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 September 2012 18.26 BST
A Swedish celebrity magazine has published topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge,
less than 24 hours after her lawyers won an injunction preventing a French publisher from
using the controversial pictures. The three-page spread published on Wednesday includes
almost a dozen pictures of the duchess. The Danish edition of the magazine – Se og Hør –
also said that it will publish a 16-page supplement of the photos on Thursday.
Carina Loefkvist, editor-in-chief of the Swedish Se og Hør (See and Hear), was unrepentant
about the publication of the pictures. "This is nothing unusual, these are quite nice pictures if
you compare with other celebrity pictures that we publish all the time," she said.
Loefkvist added that the magazine, which had a weekly circulation of more than 100,000 last
year, bought the pictures last Friday "from photographers and photo agencies, the way we
always do" and "before everything erupted".
Kim Henningsen, the editor of the Danish version of the magazine, said that he was
"incredibly proud that we have rights to the pictures of Britain's future queen".
"Our readers love to keep up with the famous and royal life and demand revealing news,"
added Henningsen.
"It is in Se og Hør's DNA to entertain and satisfy our readers' curiosity," said Henningen in a
statement on the magazine's website. "Therefore, it is always relevant for us when a duchess
67
and the future queen of England is topless." Both magazines are owned by Denmark-based
Aller Media.
St James's Palace said that "all proportionate responses will be kept under review".
The pictures have so far been published in France, Italy and Ireland.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Tuesday won the first round of their legal battle
against Closer magazine in France, which published five pages of pictures of the couple
sunbathing on a roof terrace at a private chateau in Provence.
The Tribunal de Grande Instance in Nanterre, near Paris, granted an injunction ordering the
French title to hand over digital files of the pictures within 24 hours.
The magistrates ruled that every photograph published in France by Closer publisher
Mondadori, the media company owned by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, in
future would carry a fine of €10,000 (£8,000). But the ruling refers only to the 14 pictures that
have already been published. Closer's editor Laurence Pieau has said she has other, more
intimate, pictures.
The French police raided the premises of the Paris-based magazine on Wednesday as they
launched their hunt for the photographer responsible for taking the pictures.
Under French criminal law, a breach of privacy carries a fine of up to €45,000 and a jail
sentence of up to 12 months.
The editor of the Irish Daily Star, Michael O'Kane, was suspended after publishing the topless
photographs on Saturday.
St James's Palace is still considering its options in relation to the publication of the pictures in
Ireland and in Italy, where Mondadori-owned magazine Chi rushed out a special edition on
Monday with a 26-page spread.
The photographs were taken while the duchess was sunbathing on a private holiday with her
husband at the French chateau of the Queen's nephew, Lord Linley, in Provence, earlier this
month.
Questions
Carina Loefkvist, editor-in-chief of the Swedish Se og Hør (See and Hear) which also
published many photos, said : "This is nothing unusual, these are quite nice pictures if you
compare with other celebrity pictures that we publish all the time." What’s your feeling about
this remark ?
No damages were sought by the couple against Closer. St James’s Palace said that “all
proportionate responses will be kept under review.” Do you understand why ?
Do you find any interest in this “royal” story ? Why ?
Do you think it may help ordinary people to protect their privacy ?
68
Phwoarr!! Could The Sun be stripped of Page 3?
Source http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/phwoarr-could-the-sun-be-stripped-ofpage-3-8157485.html
Online campaign targets Murdoch's advertisers in effort to bring an end to 42 years of exposés
Ian Burrell
Thursday 20 September 2012
After widespread outrage over the publication of topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge, the 42-year-old
tabloid institution of Page 3 is once more under threat.
A new campaign, called No More Page 3, appears to have tapped into public concerns about press morality, and
has used the viral power of social networking sites to win almost 24,000 signatories to an online petition
addressed to Dominic Mohan, editor of The Sun.
The campaign is being led by Lucy Holmes, an actress and writer, whose petition tells Mohan: "We are asking
very nicely. Dominic, stop showing topless pictures of young women in Britain's most widely read newspaper, stop
conditioning your readers to view women as sex objects."
Last night Holmes told The Independent: "It has been a great start but I do intend for it to get bigger. We are
inviting The Sun's biggest advertisers to withdraw their support for the last week of October. Although we would
love to think that The Sun would be concerned about the amount of people up in arms over the way they objectify
women, I think they would be more concerned when their major advertisers start pulling out."
The Sun, which was obliged to publish an unprecedented apology last week over its false reporting of the
Hillsborough football tragedy and claimed its mistakes were the results of the culture of a bygone era, has so far
refused to budge.
Yesterday it interrupted five pages of coverage of the murders of young policewomen Nicola Hughes and Fiona
Bone to offer a naked picture of "Danni, 24, from Coventry". Beneath the photo, the paper directed its readers to a
new feature on its website, "Page 360", "which gives you an all-round view of our beauties". This facility is also
offered as an iPad app. But just as digital technology is being used to expand Page 3 so it is also empowering its
critics. The No More Page 3 campaign is being driven by activity on Twitter and Facebook and receiving support
from bloggers. Support has included messages on Twitter from the comedians Jennifer Saunders, Chris Addison
and Josie Long, as well as the writer and Times columnist Caitlin Moran. Holmes said she had not received a
response from The Sun despite efforts from Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
She noted that the German tabloid Bild had dropped a similar Page One Girl feature earlier this year. "This is part
of the 1970s and it's 2012 now, surely we are not the same society," she said. "We are not sitting quietly and
taking it any more."
Page 3 is a sensitive issue ahead of Lord Justice Leveson's report. Publication of the topless pictures of the
Duchess by the Irish Daily Star enraged its publisher Richard Desmond, who has threatened to close the paper,
even though the British Star embraces the Page 3 tradition.
Questions
Do you think this new campaign, “No more Page 3”, has some chances to succeed ? Why ?
How do you explain the success of The Sun and its famous “Page 3” ? Do you have other
examples in Europe of newspapers which publish a “Page 3” or kind of “Page 3”?
What’s the main weapon Lucy Holmes, the leader of the campaign, wants to use against the
Sun ?
Do you believe the Sun’s biggest advertisers should withdraw their support or not ?
69
Those terrible tabloids
News of the World : the worst scandal in the history of the British press
On the 14th of May 2012, Catherine Mayer, London correspondant for the American weekly
magazine Time, picked up again on the huge scandal of illegal phone hacking carried out
since 2003 by numerous journalists of the News of the World, the weekly tabloid (2,8 million
copies sold every Sunday for more than a century).
It had been scuppered on July 10, 2011 by the press tycoon Rupert Murdoch, 81, the
Australian- born American, owner of a true and very influent empire of several hundreds
medias all over the world (among them the famous The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun
in Britain, The Wall Steet Journal, The New York Post in the USA, etc) which was worth
about 38 billion Euros.
A fortnight earlier, on the 1st of May 2012, after ten months of hearings the members of the
British parliamentory committee for culture, media and sport made public a report
condemning Rupert Murdoch, declared guilty for « deliberately turning a blind eye », and
« ignoring proof of widespread dishonest methods). The report also added that « he wasn’t fit
to run a major international enterprise ».
Thousands of victims
The case came to light in 2006 when the London Metropolitan Police revealed that the tabloid
had since 2003 unscrupulously and illegally hacked into numerous voicemails of thousands of
public figures, politicians, celebrities (cinema and sport), and even the Royal Family, to
obtain exclusive news, best known as «scoops ». Clive Goodman, the News of the World
Royal correspondant and Glenn Mulcaire, a private detective hired by News of the World
were convicted and sent to prison, and Andy Coulson, the editor in chief of the weekly was
dismissed.
The case seemed closed but surfaced again in 2011when Coulson, who had become director
of communications for the Prime Minister David Cameron, was arrested. The scandal spread
all over Britain when people learnt that not only the stars, celebrities in politics, cinema and
sport were having their telephones hacked but ordinary people too : murders victims relatives,
family members of the deceased during the July 7th of 2005 terrorist attacks in London or of
the soldiers killed in Irak and Afghanistan. The texts of Milly Drowler, the school girl
murdered in 2002 by a serial killer, were also hacked by the News of the World journalists.
Robert Peston, a journalist working for the BBC, reavealed later than Rupert Murdoch’weekly
bribed Scotland Yard policemen between 2003 and 2007 to get some important information.
There was a long cover-up from the police authorities about it. All these late revelations
provoked a general outcry throughout the country. After an « emergency debate » at the
House of Commons, it prompted the Cameron government to launch an official independent
enquiry and, separately, another one about ethics in the British press.
Around 50 suspects were arrested by the police which investigated the illegal phone hacking
and the bribery concerning police civil servants. In May 2012, no indictment was decided yet.
In July 2011 Lord Justice Leveson also started to lead a public inquiry about the culture, the
70
practises and the ethics of the British press. It was the only good side to the terrible News of
the World phone hacking affair.
“The first time in Great Britain”
After the closure of the 168-year old News of the World by Murdoch himself on the 10th of
July, Charles Beckett, founder and director of Polis, a think tank about the medias at the
London School of Economics, said : "It is the first time in the United Kingdom that a
newspaper decides on its own initiative to close down only for ethical reasons ».
This case has been fascinating for six years not only in Great Britain but also in Australia, the
native land of Rupert Murdoch, and America, his new homeland since 1985 when he bought
the Twentieth Century Fox, one of the major movie production in the world. The film Avatar
was a huge success in 2009. He was obliged then to respect the US law concerning the
ownership of the medias and asked to apply for naturalization.
This affair should stay one of the worst examples of a ruthless, untrusworthy and without any
code of ethics journalism in the history of the Press (See on Prepa@laune, Debate Ethics and
Deontology n°86 « Peut-on informer sans tricher », November 15, 2011).
If this affair should lead all the British media - there were also scandals with deontology
betrayed (BBC) - to start a true and deep self-criticism about «chasing the scoop at any
price», it should also have consequences about the relationship between politics and media.
In a very interesting piece called «Rupert Murdoch, the politicians’s best pal», France Info,
the French radio station, quoted Rupert Murdoch, answering a question from the
parliamentory committee for culture, media and sport : « I’ve never asked for anything from
a Prime Minister » (April 25, 2012). Murdoch added : « It’s natural for politicians to have
contacts with editors in chief, and sometimes with media owners. I was just one of them. »
From Thatcher to Cameron
Several high-ranking politicians were named during the enquiry like Jeremy Hunt, minister of
Culture, who advised Murdoch when trying to take over BSkyB, the number one subscription
television broadcaster in Great Britain, or George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
his son James’s friend. Some former Prime Ministers were also named : Margaret Thatcher,
«The Iron Lady » (Conservative Party) would have favored him in buying the Times in 1981 ;
Tony Blair (Labour Party), one of his three daughters’godfather, Gordon Brown, Blair’s
successor, one of his closest friends, etc. And last but not least, David Cameron, the present
Prime Minister, who recruited Andrew Coulson, the former editor in chief of the News of the
World, as his Communications Director, had to explain during the official inquiry (June 14,
2012) what were his exact connections with Murdoch’s group. Even if Rupert Murdoch
apologized publicly several times, dismissed from several Boards of Directors he had been
leading in his News Corporation International group and gave up his dream to take over the
subscription television broadcaster BSkyB, he remains the same ruthless businessman.
On February 26, 2012, he launched another Sunday tabloid, The Sun on Sunday to replace
The Sun’ former sister paper News of the World. In August, the Sun on Sunday reported a
circulation of 2.133.616 copies. On September 16, 2012, Murdoch’s new tabloid recorded its
lowest circulation since its launch with 2.02 million copies.
71
Exercice : wordwatching
Find the French equivalents for the following English words and expressions in the text
1/ A blind eye (to turn) :
2/ Bribery :
3/ To cover up :
4/ Chancellor of the Exchequer :
5/ Hearings :
6/ Indictment :
7/ Outcry :
8/ Phone hacking :
9/ Scoops :
10/ Scuppered (to be) :
11/ Self criticism :
12/ A think tank :
Correction :
1/ Faire semblant de ne rien savoir, regarder ailleurs
2/ Vient de l’ancien français bribe, corruption, a bribe = un pot de vin
3/ dissimuler, to cover up a scandal c’est étouffer un scandale
4/ Equivalent anglais de Ministre des Finances
5/ Auditions avant ou pendant un procès, a court hearing signifie une audience au tribunal
6/ Veut dire inculpation en anglais (on dit mise en examen en français) ou acte d’accusation
7/ Un tollé, to raise an outcry = crier au scandale)
8/ Ecoutes téléphoniques illégales, sans autorisation officielle. To hack into = s’introduire
dans
9/ Information importante, inédite et exclusive. Scoop aussi en français.
72
10/ être sabordé ou détruit ou se saborder (volontairement) après un grave échec
11/ S’auto-critiquer après avoir commis des erreurs
12/ Groupe de réflexion et de recherche intensives par des experts sur des sujets divers.
Analysis
Drop in defamation cases may be due to Leveson inquiry
Research by legal publisher reveals 36% fall in number of defamation cases brought against
UK press and broadcasters
From guardian.co.uk, September 3, 2012
The Leveson inquiry into press standards helped drive the number of defamation cases against
British newspapers and broadcasters to a five-year low in the 12 months to May 2012,
according to a leading legal publisher.
Research by Sweet & Maxwell showed a 36% year-on-year drop in the number of reported
defamation cases against newspapers and broadcasters to 27: a trend they partly attributed to a
more cautious approach by editors during Lord Justice Leveson's public inquiry into the ethics
and practices of the media.
"Public scrutiny following the eruption of the phone-hacking scandal is leading to a lower
appetite for risk for some media outlets," said Korieh Duodu, a partner at specialist media law
firm David Price Solicitors and Advocates. The number of reported defamation cases against
all publishers, including online blogs and websites, fell 15%, year on year, to 71 in the year to
May.
Sweet & Maxwell said that the number of defamation cases involving celebrities was down to
seven this year, including Morrissey's settled action against NME and Charlotte Church's
payout from the People. The Thomson Reuters-owned publisher said that the fall in
defamation cases is also partly down to a change in tactics by prominent figures, who have
used privacy injunctions to prevent potentially damaging stories seeing the light of day.
"The use of privacy law by celebrities and other high-profile individuals has certainly
increased over the last few years, with individuals using these new legal threats to try and
stamp out negative stories before they arise," Duodu added.
In December last year, Sweet & Maxwell reported that there had been 50 privacy cases
launched in the 12 months to May 2011, compared with 43 in the same period the previous
year.
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Chapter 5 : the political roller coaster
Political coverage
Like it or loathe it, politics takes up a lot of newspaper space, particularly in the quality press.
This, of course, is how it should be since, in a democracy, it is essential that the public be
informed about how they are being represented. It is also important that newspapers check
that politicians behave honestly and with integrity and that they don't in any way abuse their
position. We have already seen in the chapter 2 that most British newspapers have a political
bias which will obviously affect the contents of the articles they carry, but it is also true that
the politicians can influence how the newspapers treat a certain story. A recent example
involved the Labour government giving The Sun an exclusive article by leaking their
postponement of the General Elections owing to the foot and mouth epidemic in exchange for
a sympathetic treatment of this decision.
So, in order to understand the English-speaking press, it is essential that you have a good
grasp of the sort of vocabulary which is frequently used in political columns. Cabinet
meetings, reshuffles, shadow secretaries and chief whips may mean nothing to you now, but
these expressions as well as many others, are commonplace in the political section of a British
newspaper, so need to be mastered if you wish to progress in your understanding of the
British press.
74
An English newspaper
Government abandons hope for its constitutional reforms
Clegg blocks MP boundary changes after Tories «break contract» over Lords
The Guardian Weekly August 10-16, 2012 - By Juliette Jovitt and Patrick Wintour
The government has had to abandon the two key parts of its constitutional reform programme
by dropping both reform of the House of Lords and changes to the boundaries for MPs
constituencies.
In the most dramatic day for the coalition, the Lib Dem leader and deputy prime minister,
Nick Clegg, annnounced on Monday that the Government would abandon the bill to reform
the House of Lords after it failed to gain support from enough Conservative backbenchers or
the Labour Party.
The Lib Dem leader said the Conservatives had «broken the contract» between the coalition
partners, even though his party had consistently delivered on its side of the deal.
«The Conservative Party is not honouring the commitment to Lords reform and, as a result,
part of our contract has now been broken», Clegg said.
«Clearly I cannot permit a situation where Conservative rebels can pick and choose the parts
of the contract they like, while Liberal Democrat MPs are bound to the entire agreement.
Coalition works mutual respect; it’s a reciprocal arrangement, a to-way street. So I have told
the prime minister that, when in due course, parliament votes on boundary changes for the
2015 election I will be instructing my party to oppose them.»
«The decision was taken after the Tory leader and prime minister David Cameron, had told
their coalition partners that he could not persuade enough of his MPs to support the bill in the
House of Commons», said Clegg.
The announcement will be seen as a personal blow to the authority of Clegg, who has already
seen the party’s cherished hopes of introducing an alternative vote system for elections to
parliament defeated in a referendum last year, while he has asked his MPs to back
controversial bills including higher university tuition fees and the NHS shake-up.
However, Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile told the BBC : «Nick Clegg is in a very strong position
as leader of the Liberal Democrats, expected to lead us strongly into the election, so I don’t
believe any of the speculation about the threats to Nick Clegg’s future.»
Lords reform and boundary reviews were not explicitly linked in a coalition programme, but
some Conservative cabinet members recognise that Clegg will have to exact public revenge
over the rebuff if he is to keep his party committed to the coalition.
Lib Dems are likely to blame Labour for part of the failure, pointing out that Ed Miliband
would not commit his party to a programme motion for the committee stages of the bill – a
75
means of limiting the amount of time the bill would have spent being discussed on the floor of
the Commons.
Miliband voted for a second reading, but would not have been able to take his party with him
if he committed to a programme motion. Some Labour MPs would oppose the programme
motion out of principle, but others said it would represent too much cooperation with the
government.
Ministers had looked at various slimmed-down versions of the reforms, such as replacing only
the remaining hereditary peers with an elected element, but this proved unworkable, and
likely to lead to a new set of objections from Tory MPS about a constitutionally unstable
relationship between the two Houses.
Conservatives focused their opposition to an elected second chamber on the fear that it could
undermine the Commons. They were also likely to join forces with Labour to demand a
referendum on the reforms, something Cameron and Clegg opposed.
Abandonment of the reforms would lead to severe recriminations about why Parliament was
unable to agree the changes that all three major parties claimed to support.
Exercice : wordwatching
Find the French equivalents for the following English words and expressions in the text
Boundaries for MPs constituencies
Conservative backbenchers
Higher university tuition fees
The bill
The floor of the Commons
to give the floor to
Out of principle
Second reading
Hereditary peers
Correction : Limites des circonscriptions électorales – Députés de base conservateurs – Des
droits universitaires en hausse – Projet de loi – Débat aux communes - Donner la parole à Question de principe - – Deuxième lecture – Des pairs à vie (Chambre des Lords)76
An American newspaper
Campaigns See Latino Voters as Deciders in 3 Key States
By Adam NAGOURNEY and Fernanda Santos
New York Times – October 18, 2012
LAS VEGAS - Volunteers for President Obama have flooded into Latino-owned nail salons
here, buttonholing potential Obama voters as they sit captive in their chairs. In Colorado,
supporters of Mitt Romney recruiting Latino owners of small businesses to reach out to other
business owners whom they view as particularly receptive to the Republican economic
message.
Mr. Obama and his supporters have outspent Mr. Romney and his backers nearly 2-to-1 on
advertising on Spanish-language television stations in three of the most closely contested
states - Colorado, Florida and Nevada - including a new advertisement in which Mr. Obama
makes a personal appeal for support, speaking entirely in Spanish. Mr. Romney’s advisers
have relied on a surge of ads across the television spectrum, saying that most Hispanics speak
English and consider the economy, not immigration, the top issue.
But if their strategies differ, both campaigns have determined that turning out Latinos in those
three states is potentially critical. Mr. Obama is trying to roll up an outsize margin among
Hispanics that could edge him to victory in those states, while Mr. Romney is seeking to hold
down the president’s numbers.
“Obama understands your struggles,” Camila Peterson, 65, said in Spanish. She spoke
through a door to a family of Mexican immigrants in Longmont, Colo. “He is one of us.”
Pauline Olivra, 46, a third-generation American working at a Romney campaign office
outside Denver, said she was calling back voters who she sensed needed “just an extra push.”
“Romney,” Ms. Olvera said. “I want them to tell me they’re voting for Romney.”
The effort is being played out as the campaigns move from registering Hispanic supporters to
the historically more difficult task of getting them to vote. A poll conducted Sept. 7 to Oct. 4
by the Pew Hispanic Center found that 77 percent of Latino registered voters said they were
certain they would vote, compared with 89 percent over all.
Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, Jim Messina, said that while Latino voters were central in a
growing number of states — including Iowa, North Carolina and Virginia — nowhere were
they more critical than in Colorado, Nevada and Florida.
The voting population of Latinos has been on a steady rise in Colorado and Nevada. In
Florida, it has shifted from Cuban, a heavily Republican bloc, to include more Puerto Ricans,
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a group that has proved to be more Democratic in the state. The change has provided
Democrats with a new pool of potential supporters. “If you’re looking at a place to get new
votes, that’s the place,” Mr. Messina said.
Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico, a Republican who is campaigning for Mr. Romney,
said here that while Republicans face a battle cutting into Mr. Obama’s lead with Latinos, Mr.
Romney was catching up. “The same things are important to Latinos as to the rest of the
Americans,” she said, adding, “President Obama has made a lot of empty promises. They see
through his rhetoric.”
Still, the challenges that Mr. Romney faces were apparent in a Las Vegas parking lot last
Saturday where Ms. Martinez had just spoken to a rally of Romney volunteers. The group was
almost entirely white.
In Denver, Luis A. Colón, who runs a small international trade company, has been meeting
other Latino small-business owners receptive to Mr. Romney’s call to cut government
regulation and taxes. “The stimulus money resulted in a lot of waste, and a lot of the jobs it
created were construction jobs,” Mr. Colón said. “So when the construction was done, the
jobs were done. We need improvement that’s more than just temporary.”
These last weeks are the culmination of a strategy years in the making for Mr. Obama. It now
seeks to take advantage of a backlash among many Latino voters against tough immigration
measures embraced by Mr. Romney during his party’s presidential primaries.
Mr. Obama’s campaign and its supporters have spent $8.9 million on Spanish-language
television stations in Colorado, Florida and Nevada, compared with $4.6 million by Mr.
Romney, according to Kantar Media, which tracks advertising spending.
“We have been organizing on the ground,” Mr. Messina said. “And that is a community that
is difficult to organize on the ground unless you have real support in the community.”
Mr. Romney’s aides said they had put together what they described as the most extensive
effort to reach Latino voters of any Republican presidential candidate. (Page 2 of 2)
“We care about their vote,” said Rich Beeson, Mr. Romney’s political director, adding, “This
is the kind of election where we are going to be out there fighting for every kind of vote.”
Recent polling of Latino voters attests to the obstacles Mr. Romney faces. The Pew Hispanic
Center survey found that 61 percent of respondents said that Democrats were more concerned
than Republicans about Hispanic people; just 10 percent said Republicans were more
concerned.
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“Fifty-one percent difference,” said Mark Hugo Lopez, the center’s associate director. “That’s
the largest number we have seen in our 10 years of polling.”
The poll showed Mr. Obama leading Mr. Romney among Hispanic voters nationwide 69
percent to 21 percent; in 2008, Mr. Obama took 67 percent of the Hispanic vote, to 31 percent
for Senator John McCain.
In 2008, Mr. Obama pulled in strong support among Latino voters, according to exit polls: 61
percent in Colorado, 57 percent in Florida and 76 percent in Nevada. The extent of Mr.
Obama’s lead nationally among Hispanics suggests, analysts said, that he is doing well in
those states this year as well, though it is difficult to assess the opinions of small groups of
voters in a single state.
Mr. Lopez said that Mr. Obama’s strong position is in no small part due to his signing of an
executive order giving temporary legal status to many illegal immigrants who entered the
country as children. This became clear at an Obama field office telephone bank that hummed
with Spanish and English as volunteers worked through lists.
“I got involved as soon as I heard he signed the Dream Act,” said Adriana Ortiz, 37, whose
sister came to the United States illegally from Mexico as a child.
“He did something for my family,” she added. “I’m going to do something for him.”
Mr. Obama’s biggest challenge is turnout. “There’s no chance that Republicans are going to
win a majority of Mexican-Americans” in Nevada or Colorado, said Roberto Suro, a
professor of public policy at the University of Southern California. “It’s just a matter of how
many turn Matt A. Barreto an associate professor of political science at the University of
Washington and a founder of Latino Decisions, which polls Latino voters, said Mr. Romney
continued to pay a price for the tough immigration language that marked the primary, even as
he now seeks to move to the center.
“Romney has moved himself into an area where his statements on immigration are not
satisfactory; before, they were offensive,” he said. “His new language may not alienate as
many people, but it’s not attracting people.”
Comprehension exercise :
What were the three key states where Hispanics votes were so important for the two
presidential candidates ?
What were Barack Obama’s tactics to win the Latinos vote ?
79
What were Mitt Romney’s own tactics?
What were the ambitions of the two candidates in those states?
Why the three states were so important for both of them ?
What was the biggest problem for the two candidates ?
Correction
Colorado, Florida, Nevada.
Advertising on Spanish-Language TV stations in the three states and a new advertisement in
which the president was speaking entirely in Spanish.
Romney relied on a surge of ads across the television spectrum. He explained that most
Hispanics speak English and consider the economy, not immigration, the top issue.
Mr Obama was trying to get an outsize margin among Hispanics that could edge him to
victory in those states. Mr Romney was seeking to hold down the president’s numbers.
Turning out Latinos in these States was potentially critical. The winner wouldn’t be very far
from the final victory.
The effort was being played out as the campaigns moved from registering Hispanic supporters
to the historically more difficult task of getting them to vote.
80
USA2012 : Glossaire des termes intraduisibles de la politique américaine
Pour faciliter la compréhension des termes de la politique américaine en période électorale, le
site slate.fr a eu l’idée de publier un outil très utile : «USA 2012 : Glossaire des termes
intraduisibles de la politique américaine » ou « comment lire la presse américaine en anglais
dans le texte. » En voici un premier exemple ci-dessous :
«The earmark mudfest» — Politico
Littéralement: étiquette d’oreille pour le bétail.
Au Congrès américain, les earmarks désignent les budgets alloués à des projets précis dans les Etats. La branche
exécutive (le président) n’a pas son mot à dire. Sous l’effet du lobbying d’un élu, la Chambre vote pour subventionner
par exemple un pont dans la circonscription de cet élu, attachant comme «une étiquette» à l’oreille de la ligne
budgétaire. Les earmarks étaient monnaie courante jusqu’à ce que les Républicains, sous l’influence du Tea Party,
décident d’y mettre fin en 2010.
Proposition de traduction: subvention directe.
Pour lire la suite http://www.slate.fr/monde/61285/glossaire-mots-politique-americaine-
surrogate-pac-earmark-swing-state
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Chapter 6 : and now, on a lighter note...
Boring, USA forges links with Dull, Scotland
Los Angeles, April 25, 2012 (AFP).
There's nothing boring about Boring, Oregon, especially when it comes to building bridges
with the good folks of little Dull, Scotland.
Boring, a rural suburb of Portland named after its early 20th century founding family, is
poised to formally declare itself Dull's sister community on June 5 when its community
planning organization convenes.
"It's for fun, really, and to attract some attention to both our communities," the organization's
chairman, fire equipment dealer Stephen Bates, told AFP by telephone Wednesday.
In population terms, it's a bit of a mismatch.
Bates said 7,800 people live "in the general Boring area," where core industries include
agriculture, lumbering and a nationally recognized training center for seeing-eye dogs.
By comparison, Dull, northwest of Perth, on the edge of Dull Wood, has just 22 houses and,
according to one resident, no shops.
"Neither of us is a city, so officially we cannot be sister cities," Bates said, explaining why the
pairing is being defined instead as a friendly match of sister "communities."
The idea got off the ground when a Dull resident happened upon Boring -- which bills itself
as "the most exciting place to live" -- during a cycling holiday through the Pacific Northwest.
"It might seem like a joke, but this could have real benefits for Dull," community councillor
Marjorie Keddie told Scotland's Perthshire Advertiser newspaper this week.
"It will be interesting to see where this goes," Keddie said, adding: "Everyone has been
smiling at the prospect of the very eye-catching road sign this will inevitably require."
Boring, meanwhile, is mulling ways to build on the newfound relationship. "We can probably
send them some strawberries," Bates suggested, "and they can send us some good Scotch
whisky."
82
Comprehension exercises
1) Explain what boring means :
2) Give some synonyms of boring :
1) What dull means ?
2) Why is the story (a bit) funny ? :
Correction
1) making someone feel tired and unenthusiastic by being uninteresting and… dull
2) deadening, irksome, slow, tedious, tiresome, wearisome and… dull !
3) not interesting, slow to understand, in a word … boring !
4) Boring and Dull, what an exciting marriage between the two American and Scottish
places ! They’ll have fun together, it’s sure !
Lets’s smile a while !
(Diversions - Thanks to the Guardian Weekly, August 10, 2012, page 42)
Some Q and A (Questions and Answers) about our origins
My Kingdom for a gold
Q : Why is the home nation’s Olympic contingent called Team GB and not Team UK ?
A : «Presumably because the kingdom is no longer united and does not include Ireland any
more, but still aspires to be great – at least until Scotland secedes». From T.W. Queensland,
Australia
A : «Because they represent a Disunited Queendom ». From R.K., Tomar, Portugal.
We come from all over
Q : How British am I ? Is there any way of knowing ?
A : Britons derive from invaders from the north, south and east; slaves from the west and
south; and immigrants from the south and east. So the more I have in me from outside Britain,
the lore British I am. J.N., Brisbane, Australia.
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Tank theft apology
A plaque stolen from a German Tiger tank 45 years ago has been returned . The anonymous
donor, now in his sixties, found it recently in his attic and has returned it to the Tank Museum
at Bovington, Dorset. Tiger Tank 131 was captured in the Tunisian desert in April 1943. A
letter of apology accompanied the plaque, which gives advices in German on waterproofing
the tank’s turret. (The Times, September 24, 2012).
Say what ? For a workday off, some employees say anything
By Laura Petrecca, from USA Today (October 12-14 2012)
A botched hair-dye job. A bad break-up. And yes, actually being sick.
Those are some of the reasons employees call in sick, according to a survey by
CarerBuilder.com.
Some explanations are truthful. Some are exaggerations. Then there are the outright lies.
Nearly a third of workers reported false ailments in order to play hooky during the past year,
according to the survey of 3.976 employees. (in USA)
Nearly one in six ditched work «to catch up on sleep.»
CareerBuider also surveyed 2.494 hiring managers and human resource professionals. Among
the most memorable excuses :
«Employee was upset after watching The Hunger Games.» (a TV show)
«Employee’s dead grandmother was being exhumed for a police investigation.»
«Employee’s hair turned orange from dying her hair at home.»
Some outrageous tales stem from a worker’s desire to convince a tough boss that the
need for time off is crucial, «so they come up with something very imaginative,»
say.CareerBuilder’s Rosemary Haefner. Other times, workers stretch the truth, like
claiming a funeral during work hours to get extra time off.
They may think of sick days as a fleeting benefit, Haefner says : «They think, «I’ve
got to use it or lose it. »
Bruce Elliott, manager of compensation and benefits at the Society for Human
Resource Management, has heard a slew of excuses made more dubious because of
their timing, such as during the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament.
Fakers who raise a red flag by returning from a sick day with a tan – or who are
tagged in a Facebook photo of a weekday golf outing –should have concerns. Sick-day
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abuse not only alienates managers and co-workers who are left to handle the
workload, it can also lead to unemployment.
Nearly 30% of employers have checked up on a worker, usually by requiring a
doctor’s note or phoning the worker at home. And 17% have fired an employee for a
phony excuse.
To read the English press on the web
book online
http://books.google.fr/books?id=mNn5TH_PRqIC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=lire+la+presse+a
nglophone&source=bl&ots=qqBz49LOUp&sig=LWY6hflKMvfyXw5jgn_E0POfJQ&hl=fr&sa=X&ei=0cpYUMHnCOKi0QWF9YG4BA&ved=
0CDwQ6AEwBTgK#v=onepage&q=lire%20la%20presse%20anglophone&f=false
Here is a selection of the best and most well-known sites :
http://ww3.ac-poitiers.fr/anglais/sites/pagesanglaisJPC/papers.htm
Presentation of the main English newspapers
http://blog.telelangue.com/la-presse-en-anglais/
http://blog.telelangue.com/presse-anglaise-en-ligne/
http://www.netguide.com/Actualite-britannique/
http://www.netguide.com/Actualite-americaine/
Paperboy
www.paperboy.com (an almost exhaustive list of news-based web sites from all over the
world)
UNITED KINGDOM
www.thetimes.co.uk
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.independent.co.uk
www.guardianunlimited.co.uk
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www.sunday-times.co.uk
www.the-sun.co.uk (Britain's best-selling tabloid)
www.mirror.co.uk
www.economist.co.uk (top economics magazine with a selection of free articles)
USA
www.washingtonpost.com
www.usatoday.com
www.nytimes.com (you need to register, but it's free of charge)
www.latimes.com
www.chicagotribune.com
www.herald.com
www.time.com/time/ (some free articles)
www.newsweek.com (you need to pay to subscribe)
www.thedailybeast.com/content/newsweek.html (since the merger with the Daily Beast in
November 2010)
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ (sports)
AUSTRALIA
www.theaustralian.com.au (useful, since it contains a short quiz with answers on
the content of the day's edition)
www.smh.com.au
www.canberratimes.com.au
CANADA
www.thestar.com
www.montrealgazette.com www.edmontonjournal.com
www.club-internet.fr/vocable/ (articles from English press with vocabulary)
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Lexique des mots de la presse in English
abonnement : subscription
une accréditation : a credential
d'actualité : in the news, topical
une agence de presse : a news agency, newswire
un article (écrire) : to run an article
un attaché de presse : a press officer
attaque : catch-phrase, the first sentence of an article to catch the reader’s attention
un avant-papier, lever de rideau (d’un événement) : a preview story, a curtain raiser
brèves : news in brief
contexte, background : background (english)
un “canard” : a "rag"
un canular : a hoax
caractères gras : in bold type
censure : censorship
une chronique : a column, page, section
la chronique financière : the financial column
la chronique sportive : the sports section, the back page(s)
un communiqué de presse : a press release, a press communique, an official statement
une conférence de presse : a press conference
un compte rendu : a report
courrier des lecteurs : letters to the editor
courrier du cœur : the problem page, advice column
couverture (pour un magazine) : cover
un démenti : a denial
une dépêche d’agence : a wire story
droit de reproduction : copyright
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deadline : deadline (english) or dead-line (american). Latest time by which a newspaper
should be completed or an article should be finished
diffamer (par écrit), diffamation : to libel, libel
un éditorial : a leader, an editorial
un encadré : a box
un envoyé spécial : a special correspondent
un exemplaire : a copy
un feature : a feature (english), an article about a particular topic
un feuillet : a page
un gros plan (sur une personnalité) : a close-up
un hebdomadaire : a weekly magazine, a news magazine
intérêt humain : human interest
interview : interview (english)
un journaliste : journalist (qui s'occupe d'une rubrique régulière), a columnist, a feature-writer
kiosque à journaux : a news stand
lead (1) : items of news given prominent display in newspapers
leads (2) : information in a developing story
écrire un article : to run an article
lectorat : readership
manchette : (banner) headline
un mensuel : a monthly
nouvelles de dernière heure : the stop press
nouvelles de dernière minute : breaking news
off the record : off the record (anglais), unofficial, confidential
petites annonces : classified advertisements (or ads)
un pigiste : a freelance journalist, a stringer
la presse écrite : press, printed matter as a whole, newspapers and periodicals
88
la presse à scandales : the gutter press
un quotidien : a daily newspaper
des ragots : gossip
rédacteur en chef : editor in chief
un reportage : a report
un reporter : a reporter (anglais), from the old French «reporteur»
un résumé : a summary
réécriture : rewriting
une rubrique : a column, (régulière)
rubrique des échos : gossip column
rubrique nécrologique : the obituary column
salle de rédaction : newsroom
un scoop : a scoop (english), a piece of news published before the other newspapers,
exclusive
signature : signature, by-line
titre : headline, at the top of a newspaper
tirage : circulation figures
"une" (pour un journal) : front page
couverture (pour un magazine) : cover
89
Mots de l’actu in English
CJD –( = maladie de Creutzfeldt Jacob) Creutzfeldt Jacob's Disease - the human form of
mad cow disease (see below)
AXIS OF EVIL ( = axe du mal)- the list drawn up by George Bush after September 11th of
countries which are considered to present a terrorist threat.
BOG-STANDARD – ( = de base, mediocre) (derogatory) ordinary, basic, 'nothing special'.
When government spokesman, Alastair Campbell, spoke of 'bog-standard comprehesive
schools' in a speech in February 2001, it was an implicit criticism of the mediocrity of many
of these schools.
A COPYCAT CRIME (= crime imité) - a crime which has been 'inspired' by a previous
crime, though committed by a different person.
DECOMMISSIONING ( = mise hors service) - In Northern Ireland, the surrendering of
arms by terrorist groups such as the IRA (Irish Republican Army).
DOCUSOAP ( = feuilleton réalité)- An increasingly popular genre of television
programme, often filmed live, in which we follow the lives of 'ordinary' members of the
public (learning to drive…) week after week.
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT ( = bulle écologique)- The area of land and water required
to support a defined economy or population at a specified standard of living.
ECOWARRIER ( = écoguerrier)- a militant for an ecological cause, such as those who
camp out in trees to prevent woodland being destroyed to build new roads.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEBT ( = dette écologique)- the cost of restoring previous
environmental damage.
EURO-CREEP (?)- This word describes the tendency for EU nations outside the eurogroup (the UK, Denmark, Sweden) to adopt the euro by stealth, as many shops in these
countries start to accept the single currency.
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE -( = la fievre aphteuse ) A disease which devastated the
British farming industry, leading to a mass cull of British livestock.
FRIENDLY FIRE ( = tirs amis) - This refers to the manner in which several unfortunate
British and American soldiers have been shot and killed by their own troops.
(to go) The Full Monty (also the whole shebang) - 'the whole thing, everything'. 'To go the
full monty' = to go all the way. This expression has made a big comeback since the success
of the film of the same title in 1997.
-GATE - this suffix has been used since the Watergate scandal to refer to any political
scandal: eg. Irangate, Monicagate…
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GAZUMPING ( = surenchère) (Word made popular in the eighties, and back in the news
again with the new rise in house prices) Raising the price of a property after already having
made an oral agreement with an intended buyer.
GIRL POWER - An expression first linked to the all-girl group "The Spice Girls" - the
power of independent young women to change our perceptions of gender roles and to
recognise their growing influence in society.
GREEN TAX ( = impôt écologique)- any tax which is supposed to favour the protection of
the environment, such as the recent tax on air fares supposed to reduce global warming.
MAD COW DISEASE ( maladie de la vache folle) - Common name for BSE (bovine
spongiform encephalopathy) - fatal disease of cattle attacking the central nervous system,
recently the cause of much controversy surrounding the refusal of the French government to
lift its export ban on British meat, despite the minimal risk it now presents.
MELDREW (MELDREWISM, MELDREWESQUE...) ( = “grincheux, râleur,
ronchon”) - A grumpy, miserable, paranoid old man, always complaining about the
incompetence of those around him (named after the popular sitcom character, VIctor
Meldrew)
OTPOTSS - A new acronym found in British newspapers. A non-discriminatory way of
referring to homosexuals. (Orientation Towards People of the Same Sex).)
SARS ( = SRAS)- Acronym which stands for 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome'. This
new epidemic grabbed the headlines in April 2003. Called 'the new AIDS' by some
observers, it has already claimed a number of lives in China, Hong Kong and Canada
amongst others, and has yet again caused a headache for the big airlines owing to fears of
contracting the virus.
SHUICIDE BOMBER - based on the widely used 'suicide bomber', a 'shuicide bomber' is a
terrorist with a bomb in his shoe.
SLUSH FUND ( = caisse noire)- reserve funding used for political bribery, in the news
recently in the UK in the " Cash-for-Questions" scandal involving several Labour
politicians.
SOUND BITE ( = “petite phrase”) - This expression used in media circles is used to
describe a short quote or extract from an interview, chosen for its conciseness and its
appropriateness, which perfectly sums up or encapsulates a given situation.
SPIN DOCTORS ( = conseiller en communication) - (Originally an American expression,
but now commonly used in the UK) A political expert or adviser employed to portray a
politician or policies in a favourable light to the media. Some spin doctors (eg. Tony Blair's
media chief Alistair Campbell) are now becoming famous in their own right.
SPIN - The techniques used by spin doctors to portray a situation favourably. EG - "It is
often difficult for political commentators to see through all the spin".
91
TOP-UP FEES ( = frais d’inscription supplémentaires)- a controversial new government
plan to impose extra fees on students in order to help pay for University expansion.
TROPHY RAPIST ( = violeur collectionneur)- nickname given to a recent serial rapist,
because he took an item of clothing from each of his victims, a term likely to refer to all
subsequent 'copycat' crimes.
WMD - Acronym which stands for the elusive 'weapons of mass destruction' ( = armes de
destruction massive) which were the supposed justification for war in Iraq, and which are
proving embarrassingly difficult to find.
APPCESSORIES (from “applications” and “accessories”). It could be the next big thing
after Smartphones and tablets. Goggles and wristwatches will soon connect to your iPhone
or Android phone via Bluetooth and show details of incoming emails or calls. This new
fashion is already called “wearable computing” or “computer couture”.
MISSSTEPS (= gaffes, bourdes) - Mitt Romney was heavily criticized over his unfortunate
comments with blunders and errors in the Middle East during his first overseas trip as the
Republican candidate for the US Presidency.
PARTY POOPERS (poopers = rabat-joie). A wordplay bet ween “Party” and “to party”.
After the main political Parties conference season in September 2012, the Tories
(Conservative Party) and the LibDems (Liberal Democrats), their allies in the British
government, had no reason to… party. Neither had the Labour Party. Their membership
figures have dramatically dropped. In the 50’s Conservative and Labour ranks stood at three
and one million respectively. By 2010, those figures were down to 177.000 and 194.000.
The Liberal Democrats have fewer than 50.000 members instead of 100.000 in the early
90’s.
savethesounds.info - The name of the original website of The Museum of Endangered
Sounds founded in January 2012 by three American students. The website is dedicated to
archiving and preserving the familiar sounds of yesterday’s electronical gadgetry, such as a
digital watch alarm or a dot matrix printer.
“WIFF-WAFF” WAR – During the 2012 Olympics, everything went smoothly when
North Korea faced South Korea, the future winner, in the men’s team table tennis
competition. In spite of the still heavy atmosphere between the two countries since 1950,
there was not any incident from the moment both sides shook hands. The public just heard
the familiar but sometimes extreme wiff-waff noise when the ball was mercilessly hit to
score a point. “A ping-pong cordiale” wrote the Guardian.
92
Selection of articles about journalistic practices
Published on PressGazette (http://www.pressgazette.co.uk)
Survey reveals UK journalists place call of conscience above all else [1]
Dominic Ponsford [2] 21 September 2012
Who do journalists see themselves as answerable to above all else?
Advertisers? The audience? Their editor?
The answer, according to a new survey of British journalists, is in fact rather less prosaic. When journalists were
asked "To whom do you have the highest responsibility?", by far the biggest number answered: "My consience".
The MediaAct survey is part of a four-year EU-funded project. Some 1,500 journalists were interviewed across
Europe including 318 in the UK. The sample was weighted to be representative across all sectors of the
journalism industry.
Just looking at the UK figures, some 79 per cent said of journalists said their highest responsiblity was to their
conscience, followed by 73.7 per cent saying their sources and 72 per cent journalistic standards.
To whom do you have the highest responsibility?
1
My conscience
79.2%
2
My sources
73.7%
3
Journalistic standards
72%
4
My target audienceÂ
51.5%
5
Democratic values     Â
43%
6
My colleague
42.8%
7
The general publicÂ
42.1%
8
My editor
36.2%
9
My publisherÂ
22.1%
10
God  Â
7.6%
11
AdvertisersÂ
3.8%
12
Religious groups
2.7%
13
Political parties
2.1%
14
The government      Â
1.7%
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Â
According to lecturer and press standards campaigner Mike Jempson, who worked on the study, the results
reinforce the argument that journalists should have conscience clauses inserted in their contracts.
The survey found that 50 per cent of UK journalists feel that economic pressures are damaging quality and 17 per
cent warned that a herd approach to journalism meant stories were being hyped.
Jempson said: “In contrast to the perception some might have gained from the Inquiry hearings, the concept
of personal responsibility and the public interest would appear to be deeply embedded in the psyche of all
journalists.
†Across the range of very different media cultures surveyed, the vast majority of all respondents saw journalistic
responsibility is a prerequisite for press freedom, and overwhelmingly considered their highest responsibility as
being to their consciences. This is especially true in the UK where 79% put their consciences well ahead of
obedience to editors and proprietors.
“Their self-declared guiding principles put their sources, journalistic standards, target audiences, democratic
values, their colleagues, and the general public way above the interests of their employers This may help explain
why editors seem so reluctant to include a conscience clause in contracts of employment, and why the NUJ has
been campaigning for so long for its inclusion.
“Contradicting claims made to Leveson by media executives, most journalists blame economic pressure for
damaging the quality of UK journalism, with almost half saying this is a major problem. However only 8%
regarded failure to comply with journalistic standards as a problem, citing inadequate wages and the tendency to
hype stores as more significant.â€
What are the biggest problems facing UK journalism?
Economic pressures damaging quality     Â
49.3%
Inadequate pay  Â
38.2%
A herd approach to hyping storiesÂ
16.8%
Government pressure damaging quality     Â
9.6%
Ignoring professional standardsÂ
7.8%
Inadequate training Â
6.9%
Â
What has the biggest impact on journalistic behaviour?
The lawÂ
50%
Legal department Â
41.1%
Codes of ethicsÂ
34%
Company guidelinesÂ
31.3%
Journalism educationÂ
20%Â
OfCom     Â
12.8%Â
Press Complaints CommissionÂ
11.1%
Audience commentsÂ
6.5%Â
94
Criticism in the news mediaÂ
ÂÂÂÂ
 5.9%
Satire about the media  Â
4.5%
Ombudsman/Readers EditorÂ
4.2%
Professional media bloggersÂ
3.4%Â
Comments on social mediaÂ
3.1%Â
Blogs by members of the publicÂ
2.7%Â
Trade journals Â
2.1%
Academic analysisÂ
ÂÂÂÂ
 1.7%
Viewers associationsÂ
1.7%
In-house media blogsÂ
1.4%Â
Non-governmental organisations Â
1%
Â
Some 318 journalists were interviewed for the UK portion of the MediaAct survey. Of these 27.8 per cent worked
for a daily newspaper, 19.3 per cent weekly newspaper, 12.5 per cent magazine, 7.4 per cent online news. 7.1
per cent BBC TV, 5.4 per cent BBC Radio, 4.4 per cent commercial TV, 4.4 per cent news agency and 1.77 per
cent commercial radio.
Source URL: http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/survey-reveals-uk-journalists-place-callconscience-above-all-else
Links:
[1] http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/survey-reveals-uk-journalists-place-call-conscience-above-all-else
[2] http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/writer/dominic_ponsford
[3] http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/subject/And then
[4] mailto:[email protected]
[5] mailto:[email protected]
95
Published on PressGazette (http://www.pressgazette.co.uk)
Home > Study: 28% of journalists unable to carry out job without social media
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Study: 28% of journalists unable to carry out job without social media [1]
Andrew Pugh [2] 18 September 2012
Â
28 per cent of journalists say social media is essential for the job
Magazine journalists least likely to use social networking sites
Fewer journalists believe social media increases productivity
Broadcast journalists use social media the most
A new study has found that more than a quarter of UK journalists now believe they would be unable to carry out
their job without social media websites like Twitter and Facebook.
But while 28 per cent of UK journalists said social media was essential for the job, the annual survey by
communications company Cision [3]and Canterbury Christ Church University [4] suggested fewer journalists
believed social media improved their productivity, with the figures dropping from 49 per cent last year to 39 per
cent in 2012.
The percentage of people who disagreed with the statement that “social media improves productivity― rose
from 20 per cent to 34 per cent, and journalists were also more negative about the impact of social media on
relationships with their audiences.
The number of people who “strongly agreed― that social networking sites allowed greater engagement fell
from 43 per cent to 27 per cent
96
Â
The 2012 Social Journalism Study found that “social media is embedded in most UK journalists’ daily
work routine", adding: “The majority of them use two or three social media tools regularly for professional
tasks,― the report found.
“The most popular social media tools are microblogs, namely Twitter, professional social networking sites,
such as LinkedIn, and social networking sites, such as Facebook. 47.9 per cent of respondents had more than
500 followers/friends on their preferred social networking or microblogging site, and only 13.7 per cent had fewer
than 100 followers/friends.
“Nearly half of UK journalists post original comments on social networking or microblogging sites daily, and
more than four in ten manage a professional, work-related social networking or microblogging account on a daily
basis (Figure 2). More than half of them re-post on a microblogging site, monitor discussions on social media
about their own content and reply to comments they receive on social media either on a daily or weekly basis.
Maintaining a work-related blog is less popular, only a quarter of respondents blogging on at least a weekly basis.
"Â
97
Â
Elsewhere, the research found that “those reaching local audiences are more likely to post original content on
a social networking site than those reaching international audiences (57.4 per cent as opposed to 42.4 per cent
daily use) and to monitor social media discussions about their own content (49.6 compared to 34.4 per cent daily
use)".
The media sector that journalists work in also had a big impact on the level of engagement with social media
Broadcast journalists “reported the longest hours of social media use and magazine journalists the
shortest―, with online journalists the most likely to maintain a work-related blog daily (18.1 per cent) and
magazine journalists the least (5.3 per cent).
Magazine journalists were also the least likely to post original content on a social networking site on a daily basis
(37.5 per cent) compared to online journalists (59.7 per cent) and newspaper journalists (50.6 per cent).
They were also the least likely to monitor social media discussions about their own content on a daily basis (26
per cent) compared to online journalists (50.8 per cent), broadcast journalists (37.5 per cent) and newspaper
journalists (37.3 per cent).
Age is another major influence – those aged 27 and under use social media for work 1.5  times longer than
the over 45s.
“This younger age group also has more followers/friends. 57.1 per cent of those aged less than 27 years have
more than 500 followers/friends on their preferred social networking or microblogging site, compared with 31.8 per
cent of those aged more than 45.
98
“Younger media professionals are also more likely to start following someone on social media they have met
in person (19 per cent) compared to only 7.2 per cent for those aged over 45. Younger professionals are also
more likely to monitor social media discussions about their own content (53.2 per cent as opposed to 26.6 per
cent).â€
Here are some other key findings from the report, which can be downloaded here [5]:
Magazine journalists are the least positive about the impact of social media on their work (42.1 per cent saw the
impact generally positive) while online journalists are the most upbeat about social media (57.6 per cent positive
views).
25.2 per cent of newspaper journalists and 23.7 per cent of magazine journalists thought that they would not be
able to carry out their work without social media, while the figure for online journalists was 43.6 per cent.
Online journalists are much more likely to agree (69.2 per cent) that because of social media they communicate
better with people relevant to their work compared to magazine journalists (55.3 per cent) and newspaper
journalists (54.7 per cent).
In general, younger journalists are more positive about the impact of social media compared to their older
counterparts. 61.9 per cent of those aged below 27 years old saw the impact of social media on their work
positively, compared with 38.4 per cent of those older than 45.
The survey also asked journalists about their views on the impact of social media on their profession. 40 per cent
of respondents agreed that social media is undermining traditional journalistic values, such as objectivity.
99
Views about crowdsourcing varied, with 23.7 per cent agreeing that crowdsourcing improves the quality of
journalism and 29 per cent disagreeing. Most UK journalists, however, agreed that social media will not lead to
the death of professional journalism.
Â
The study found five types of professional social media users among journalists who differ in terms of patterns of
use, knowledge, purpose of use and attitudes:
Architects (11.8 per cent) are the movers and shakers of the professional social
media world;
Promoters (24.7 per cent) are heavy users focusing mainly on disseminating and
advocating their work;
Hunters’ (34.9 per cent) social media use is driven by an emphasis on sourcing
information as well as finding contacts and networking;
Observers (18.8 per cent) are lighter users who are not keen contributors in the social
media world but do use the tools to find information and monitor what’s going on;
Sceptics (9.8 per cent) are low users who have generally negative attitudes towards
the use and the impacts of social media.
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Methodology: The report is based on 769 responses from UK journalists. The proportion of male and female
respondents is 56 per cent and 44 per cent respectively. The majority fell in the 28-45 age bracket (see Figure 9).
Magazine journalists (38.5 per cent) and journalists who publish online (33.6 per cent) made up two thirds of the
sample. Respondents were more likely to work for large organisations (37 per cent) but there is a range of
different professional settings. Almost 44 per cent of respondents worked for media aimed at international
audiences, 37.5 per cent targeting national audiences and 18.3 per cent worked in the local and regional media
sector.
Source URL: http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/study-28-journalists-unable-carry-out-jobwithout-social-media
Links:
[1] http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/study-28-journalists-unable-carry-out-job-without-social-media
[2] http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/writer/andrew_pugh
[3] http://www.cision.com/uk/?gclid=CO2Rs628v7ICFaXJtAodJkMAmA
[4] http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/
[5] http://www.cision.com/uk/public-relations-white-papers/social-journalism-study-frm2012/
[6] mailto:[email protected]
[7] mailto:[email protected]
101
Les articles low cost de quotidiens US étaient rédigés aux Philippines
Le sous-traitant, Journatic, inventait des noms de faux journalistes américains
Plusieurs journaux américains ont publié, pendant des années et à leur insu, des articles
d'information locale écrits par des Philippins sous-payés ou des journalistes indépendants
américains, à peine mieux rémunérés. Ces articles, commercialisés par la société Journatic,
étaient fabriqués à partir de diverses sources et bases de données, et signés de divers
pseudonymes inventés. Scandale : plusieurs titres prestigieux reconnaissent progressivement
avoir utilisé les services de Journatic, et certains continuent à le faire.
La supercherie a été révélée le 23 juin par l'équipe de This
American Life, qui produit, à Chicago, une émission
hebdomadaire diffusée par plus de 500 stations de radio dans
toute l'Amérique.
This American Life a diffusé le témoignage de Ryan Smith, un
journaliste indépendant qui travaille pour la société Journatic
basée à Chicago. Le journaliste dit être payé 10 dollars de
l'heure pour finaliser des articles et décrit une sorte d'usine
d'assemblage : rassemblement de données (issues de
communiqués, de réseaux sociaux, etc..) par une personne,
écriture générée par ordinateur ou par des auteurs basés aux
Philippines et sous-payés, puis relecture finale par un éditeur,
avant que l'article ne soit signé d'un nom américain inventé de
toutes pièces.
Le tout est publié dans de nombreux journaux réputés aux
quatre coins des États-Unis. Ces clients de Journatic ignoraient
tout des conditions de fabrication de ces contenus... qui étaient
souvent moins coûteux que ceux produits par leurs rédactions
respectives.
Smith a retrouvé des articles ainsi créés dans des quotidiens
comme le San Francisco Chronicle (Californie), le Houston
Chronicle (Texas) ou dans Newsday (New York). Dans un
premier temps, fin 2011, Smith contacte un journaliste qui fait
de l'information locale à Chicago. L'affaire fait peu de bruit.
Mais en avril 2012, Smith, le journaliste réalise que le groupe de presse Tribune, éditeur de titres prestigieux
comme le Los Angeles Times ou le Chicago Tribune, va faire appel à Journatic. Le Chicago Tribune a
effectivement annoncé le 24 avril qu'il licenciait 20 des journalistes sur les 40 qui alimentaient ses pages locales,
et les remplaçait par des articles fournis par Journatic.
102
Très fier de collaborer avec l'un des plus grands
journaux américains, Brian Tempone, le PDG de
l'entreprise expliquait lui début avril que son
business model "est plus efficace que celui d'un
journal, et qu'il contribue à faire du meilleur
journalisme". Il oublie là de dire que son entreprise
est aussi spécialisée dans les "contenus
sponsorisés" (payés par des entreprises) et dans la
pub "hyper-locale".
Une pratique "inacceptable"
Regrettant le faible écho donné à ses révélations, Smith contacte donc This American Life, qui a diffusé son
témoignage le week-end du 23 et 24 juin, aux quatre coins de l'Amérique. Interrogé dans l'émission, le
responsable du groupe Tribune se félicite des économies réalisées en faisant appel à Journatic, et du volume de
copie produit en extérieur, trois fois plus important qu'auparavant. Le PDG de Journatic reconnaît pour sa part
l'usage de pseudos, mais assure qu'il s'agit seulement de protéger les contributeurs d'éventuelles mesures de
rétorsion de sociétés mises en cause dans les articles.
Auparavant, le patron avait interdit à ses employés de parler à la presse. Selon le site Poynter, il les avaient
prévenus en avril que des journalistes allaient sans doute essayer d'en savoir plus, et que les collaborateurs de
Journatic "n'étaient autorisés à parler avec aucun journaliste dans aucune circonstance". Il leur avait même
demandé de le prévenir si un journaliste les contactait, leur promettant "un bonus de 50 dollars".
Ces précautions n'ont pas suffi. Après les révélations de l'émission de radio, le 1er juillet, le Chicago Tribune a
réagi et annoncé l'ouverture d'une enquête interne.
L'article indique que Journatic fait appel à 140
travailleurs basés à l'étranger, principalement aux
Philippines, payés 35 cents par article, selon le PDG
de Journatic. La société emploie, par ailleurs, 200
contributeurs américains, généralement payés 2 à 4
dollars par article (sauf les 60 employés à plein
temps, payés au mois).
Chicago Tribune 2 juillet 2012
Le San Francisco Chronicle signale le 3 juillet qu'un
dénommé Jeremy Schnitker a proposé dans ses
colonnes 32 articles sous le nom de Jake Barnes, en
plus des 105 articles publiés sous son nom."Barnes"
écrit
pour
une
filiale
de
Journatic,
BlockShopper.com, spécialisée dans l'immobilier.
Dans ses articles trouvés sur le site du quotidien,
Jake Barnes est présenté comme un collaborateur
du journal... Le patron de Journatic explique cette
fois, que ses articles étant repris par Google News, il
ne pouvait pas laisser la même signature reprise des
dizaines de fois consécutives.
Le Chicago Tribune signale qu'un autre quotidien, le Chicago Sun Times, a lui aussi publié des articles de
Journatic signés de noms d'auteurs inventés, et décidé de ne plus travailler avec cette société.
103
Le même jour, le 3 juillet, c'est le Houston Chronicle
qui publie un "avis aux lecteurs" en bas de sa page
2, expliquant que depuis deux ans, il a publié des
articles de Journatic sous divers noms inventés et
reconnaît une pratique "inacceptable pour un organe
de presse journalistique". Après avoir précisé que
son fournisseur de contenu aurait cessé ces
pratiques, le rédacteur en chef du journal présente
ses excuses.
Houston Chronicle 3 juillet 2012 page 2
Smith, celui par qui le scandale a été révélé, a
annoncé son intention de ne plus travailler avec
Journatic, et la plupart des journaux ont supprimé de
leur site les articles litigieux. Mais le Chicago Tribune
continue de faire appel aux services de Journatic
pour ses 90 sites locaux, et pour ses 22
hebdomadaires papier.
Exemple hier avec un article sur un joueur d'une
équipe de football de Naperville (141 000 habitants),
située dans la banlieue Est de Chicago.
On remarque que l'origine de l'article est clairement
mentionnée sous la signature de l'auteur "Scotty
Redick, Journatic News Service".
104
le Chicago Tribune a suspendu sa collaboration avec Journatic, un fournisseur de contenu à bas
prix.
Début de la fin pour l'agence de presse low cost ? Nous avions
raconté en détail comment une émission de radio américaine
avait révélé fin juin que plusieurs grand journaux américains
publiaient des articles d'information locale, produits par la société
Journatic, qui emploie des Philippins sous-payés ou des
journalistes indépendants américains, à peine mieux rémunérés.
De nombreux noms de journalistes censément signataires étaient
tout simplement inventés.
Le groupe Tribune, propriétaire, entre autres, du Chicago
Tribune, avait investi dans Journatic en avril dernier. La
collaboration s'arrête pourtant net. "Le Chicago Tribune suspend
l'utilisation de Journatic", a annoncé samedi Vince Casanova, le
président du quotidien Chicago Tribune. "A la suite de la
découverte du non-respect des principes du journalisme du
Chicago Tribune, nous suspendons l'utilisation de Journatic,
fournisseur de contenu éditorial pour nos journaux consacrés à
l'actualité locale. Nous avons pris cette décision quand nous
avons découvert vendredi qu'un article sur le sport publié dans la
semaine contenait des éléments plagiés et inventés."
En outre, Mike Foucher, responsable du contenu éditorial de Journatic a annoncé le même jour sa démission, sur
son blog. Il explique qu'il existe un désaccord fondamental entre lui et les fondateurs de Journatic sur des
questions d'éthique journalistique. "Le modèle choisi par l'entreprise pose problème quand il tente de traiter des
informations locales de la même manière que l'on traite des données statistiques, écrit-il. Inévitablement, quand
vous distribuez des articles à des équipes de plus en plus éloignées, vous cassez les liens de confiance entre
auteurs et éditeurs, jusqu'à ce qu'ils se découragent et ne fassent plus un travail de qualité au nom, de
l'augmentation de la production et de la rentabilité."
Source http://www.arretsurimages.net/contenu.php?id=5127 16 juillet 2012
105
Chicago Tribune suspends use of Journatic
From Vince Casanova President/Chicago Tribune
8:04 p.m. CDT, July 13, 2012
Dear Readers,
As a result of serious breaches of the Chicago Tribune’s journalistic standards, we
have suspended indefinitely our use of Journatic as a third-party producer of editorial
content for our suburban TribLocal publications.
We made the decision after it came to light Friday that a sports story published in this
week’s Deerfield TribLocal contained elements that were plagiarized and fabricated.
Last week, we reported that the Tribune was investigating Journatic’s practices and
editorial controls regarding its use of false bylines, also a violation of our editorial
ethics policy. Journatic, a Chicago-based company, started producing editions of
TribLocal earlier this year. Tribune Co. is an investor in Journatic.
The Chicago Tribune’s journalists are held to the highest standards and those
standards must apply to all Chicago Tribune Media Group publications and their
content suppliers.
The TribLocal story fell far short.
An investigation by Tribune editors determined that the writer of the story titled,
“Epstein shows effectiveness on the mound,” did not contact the main subject.
One quote attributed to the subject originally was published in a June 7 Deerfield
Review story by Bill McLean. A second quote in the TribLocal story was fabricated; it
was based on information in a story by Steve Sadin that ran March 29 on
Deerfield.Patch.com.
Journatic says it will discontinue use of the freelance writer, Luke Campbell. A review
of his previous stories for TribLocal did not find any other plagiarized or fabricated
work.
We take these issues very seriously. We will not use Journatic content until we are
confident that it meets Chicago Tribune standards.
Your trust in the accuracy and integrity of our reporting is the cornerstone of our
business. We will never compromise it.
106