TheAmericannewspaperhasbeenaroundforaboutthreehundredyears.In1721,theprinterJamesFranklin,Benjamin’solderbrother,startedtheNewEnglandCourant,andthatwaswhatwemightrecognizetodayasarealnewspaper.Hefilledhispaperwithstoriesofadventure,articlesonart,onfamouspeople,andonallsortsofpoliticalsubjects. ThreecenturiesaftertheappearanceofFranklin’sCourant,fewbelievethatnewspapersintheirpresentprintedfromwillremainaliveforlong.Newspapercompaniesarelosingadvertisers(广告商),readers,marketvalue,andinsomecases,theirsenseofpurposeataspeedthatwouldnothavebeenimaginablejustseveralyearsago.Thechiefeditor(主编)oftheTimessaidrecently,“Atplaceswheretheygather,editorsaskoneanother,‘Howareyou?’,asiftheyhavejustcomeoutofthehospitaloralostlawcase.”AnarticleaboutthenewspaperappearedonthewebsiteoftheGuandian,undertheheadline“NOTDEADYET.” Perhapsnot,buttheriseoftheInternet,whichhasmadethedailynewspaperlookslowandoutofstepwiththeworld,hasbroughtaboutarealsenseofdeath.SomeAmericannewspapershavelost42%oftheirmarketvalueinthepastthreeyears.TheNewYorkTimesCompanyhasseenitsstock(股票)dropby54%sincetheendof2004,withmuchofthelosscominginthepastyear.AmanageratDeutscheBanksuggestedthatstock-holderssellofftheirTimesstock.TheWashingtonPostCompanyhaspreventedthetroubleonlybychangingpartofitsbusinesstoeducation;itstestingandtest-preparationservicenowbringsinatleasthalfthecompany’sincome. 小题1:WhatcanwelearnabouttheNewEnglandCourant? |