RENDERING. Богатова С.М - 16 стр.

daily to maintain or re-impose state control of the media. In Tajikistan,            The U.S. maintains that countries aspiring to membership in
beset by civil war, the government suppressed all independent media.          NATO in the European Union or in the wider community of developed
In Armenia police habitually raid editorial offices. In Romania journal-      nations must respect democracy, free enterprise and human rights. But
ists are often under surveillance. In Slovakia a proposed law would           Washington is notably passive in promoting freedom of the press.
provide one- to five-year jail sentences for journalists who «demean»                Why should Americans care? Because if there is to be a world in
the country from abroad. In Poland, the Czech republic and Hungary            which the U.S. can enjoy a measure of security and prosperity, the
the situation is better, but everywhere governments exert pressure by         spread of democracy is essential. And democracy is impossible without
controlling paper supplies, distribution facilities and especially broad-     a free press. Free and responsible, of course. But responsibility is not
cast licenses.                                                                likely to be taught by the Twyn treatment or lesser forms of repression.
        The battle is not confined to former communist areas. In Turkey,             Looking at the rest of the world, American journalists have rea-
a NATO member, more than 70 journalists were in jail at the end of            son to be grateful that the only real threat they face is angry words.
last year. Despite much progress in Latin America, licensing of journal-      And the American public has reason to be grateful that its press, for all
ists and other controls are widespread. Argentina recently threatened to      its sins, is still the most professional and responsible in the world.
pass a law providing up to 10 years of prison for «dishonoring the            Could that mutual recognition produce a glimmer of detente between
name of a politician».                                                        press and citizens? According to recent surveys, a majority of Ameri-
        Many of the world’s governments have enshrined press freedom          cans believe that the media only get in the way of solving problems.
in their constitutions but fed free to ignore it. A charter drawn up by the   But a majority also believe that the press keeps powerful people from
World Press Freedom Committee condemns censorship in all its forms            becoming too powerful. Perhaps that thought should be the message of
and proclaims freedom of expression as an essential human right. But          World Press Freedom Day, everywhere, including the U.S.
government resistance to the charter’s principles is tenacious. There is
the argument from patriotism: nations, especially when in crisis, cannot            EXERCISE 1. Answer the following comprehension questions
tolerate destructive criticism. There is the argument from culture: cha-
                                                                                    1) Why did UNESCO proclaim World Press Freedom Day?
otic Western concepts of freedom cannot be applied to societies based
                                                                                    2) What is the state of things with the freedom of press in Russia
on order and stability. There is the argument from economics: undue
                                                                                       and in former communist countries?
press attacks undermine development. There is the argument from ide-
                                                                                    3) What arguments are given by some governments to restrict
alism: an irresponsible press is apt to spread racial and ethnic hatred.
                                                                                       press freedom?
All of these assertions contain elements of truth. It is nearly impossible
                                                                                    4) Why do most of the world’s governments feel free to ignore
to export the First Amendment of the American Constitution, for ex-
                                                                                       freedom of the press, according to the writer?
ample, to countries without deep roots and habits of freedom. In many
                                                                                    5) Why does the author think that it is impossible to export the
parts of the world, journalists lack any tradition of objective reporting.
                                                                                       First Amendment of the American Constitution?
But for the most part the fight against press freedom comes down to
                                                                                    6) Is the author optimistic about maintaining and promoting
politicians protecting themselves and the status quo.
                                                                                       press freedom all over the world?
        That is ultimately untenable in a world of instant communica-
                                                                                    7) Is the writer satisfied with the American press?
tions that cross all frontiers. Arid in a global marketplace the notion
                                                                                    8) Why does the writer think that Americans should care about
that authoritarian rule can be combined with free enterprise – the no-
                                                                                       the freedom of the world press?
tion might be called Lee Kuan Yewism, for Singapore’s Godfather –
cannot work indefinitely.

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