智慧人生篇章 第31期:紙質(zhì)媒體與電子媒體之爭

　　These well-informed young people had a verymodest interest in the print media. Unlike me, theydidn't feel their day was incomplete without readinga newspaper.Total newspaper circulation has beendeclining by roughly a million copies each year. Andyet a review of the main stories in the nationalpapers continues to be a regular feature of thisprogramme. Items in broadcast news frequently taketheir cue from reports in the press. I wonder howlow circulations will have to fall before such regardfor the print media disappears.My guess is it maytake a long time. We all seem to give greater authority to what is written than what is spoken.We know we can say things unthinkingly and stupidly. As the letter of James in the NewTestament says "the tongue is an unruly member". But cruel words spoken in an outburst oftemper are less hurtful than the same words written in a letter and sent by post. The writtenword has a very deliberate intention behind it. We speak about seeing things in black andwhite. On receiving a helpful letter we may say of someone "she's taken the trouble to write".

　　這些見多識廣的年輕人對紙質(zhì)媒體興致不高。我要是一天不看報紙就會覺得這一天不完整，他們則不會。報紙總發(fā)行量以每年大約一百萬的速度在遞減。然而，本欄目還是一直在各大報紙上查閱大事要事。新聞聯(lián)播經(jīng)常從發(fā)行物中尋找靈感。我想，發(fā)行量要跌到多低，人們才會不再關(guān)注發(fā)行物。我猜，這需要相當(dāng)長的時間。我們都覺得書面的比口頭的更具權(quán)威性，因?yàn)槲覀儠唤?jīng)大腦的胡言亂語?！缎录s》中James的信中寫道：“舌頭難駕馭”。但是盛怒之下脫口而出的尖酸刻薄遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不如將這些訴諸書面并寄給對方來的傷人。書面文字隱含著深思熟慮的刻意。我們喜歡說白紙黑字。當(dāng)我們收到一份非常有幫助的信件時，我們會說“她撥冗寫了這封信。