褚简宁 - News dump | 又中又英

　　Media editors and reporters working for TV, radio, print, and online newspapers all recognize a news dump when they see it. Governments, politicians, and corporations often use news dumps when they reach a moment of truth. Media people frown on news dumps because the news dumps come when they are least prepared. A news dump, sometimes called a Friday news dump, is a public relations tactic that governments, politicians, or corporations use. They choose late Friday evenings or holidays to release negative or controversial information to minimize public attention and media coverage.

　　Newsrooms have fewer people working on holidays, late Friday afternoons, and the weekends that follow Fridays. Governments, politicians, and corporations must release negative information when they reach a moment of truth because the public feels it has the right to such information. A moment of truth used this way means the time when difficult decisions must be made. The public and the media will suspect governments, politicians, and corporations of covering up negative information involving them if they avoid or refuse to release the information. That’s why they use news dumps to minimize attention when they reach their moment of truth.

　　A news dump can be just one piece of information or a lot of information. To frown on something means to disapprove of something or to consider it unacceptable. The media frowns on news dumps because understaffed newsrooms must work very hard and quickly to broadcast, publish, or post the released negative information online. The US government has used news dumps during the Christmas and New Year holidays to release sensitive information about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019.

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　　于电视、电台、纸媒和网媒工作的编辑和记者，当见到news dump的时候，都一定能辨认出来。政府、政客和大公司不时在关键的决定时刻（moment of truth）会用上news dumps这一招。传媒人总是对这些news dumps很不以为然（frown on），因为它总在他们最没准备的时候出现。A news dump，有时被称为Friday news dump，是政府、政客或大公司所用的一种公关伎俩。他们专挑周五晚间或假日期间，去发放负面或具争议的资讯，以减低公众关注和传媒报道。

　　新闻编辑室在假日、周五下午稍晚时段，以至周五过后的周末，人手都较少。政府、政客和企业到了要开诚布公的决定性时刻（moment of truth），就必须公开负面资讯，因为公众觉得自己有知情权。A moment of truth在这里是指要做艰难决定的关键时刻。要是政府、政客和企业回避或拒绝公开某些资讯，公众和传媒会质疑他们在隐瞒一些关乎自己的负面资讯。因此，当他们到了不得不说的关键时刻（moment of truth），便会用上新闻压制效应（news dumps）去将公众关注减到最低。

　　这些在周末给丢出来的新闻（news dump）可以是一则又或众多的资讯。To frown on something意即不赞成某事，或认为它是难以接受的。传媒不赞同（frown on）这种意图掩盖或压制的丢新闻手法（news dumps），因为他们必须在新闻室人手不足的情况下拼命工作，务求最快广播、出版又或在网络发表那些负面资讯。美国政府在圣诞和新年假期期间，就用了这种新闻压制效应（news dumps），发放被判有罪的性罪犯杰弗里．爱泼斯坦的敏感资讯，他于2019年在服刑的牢房内被发现死亡。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻