《大中报》“柯文彬投票”一文报道遵循新闻从业标准

 

In the wake of Chinese News report “Is Vincent Ke an eligible voter in Ward 17”,  the paper is at the receiving end of attacks and criticisms, alleging that Chinese News is aligned with the views of liberal politicians and that it intended to ruin the reputation of the Conservative MPP.

 

在美加边境两边的媒体都接连不断遭受类似攻击的新趋势下，这类批评指责不过是冰山之一角。今天的媒体都遭到抨击，称其为自由党及其支持者们的传声筒，为自由党主张摇旗呐喊。在美国，川普总统攻击新闻记者为人们的公敌，指责主流媒体为“假新闻”温床，“垮台新闻机构”等等。

Amid a growing trend of broad attacks against news media in both sides of the border, the criticisms are just tip of an iceberg. Today, media is largely perceived as parroting the views of the Liberal government and its supporters. In the US, Trump President attacks journalists as enemies of people, accusing mainstream media of “fake news” and “failing” media organizations.

 

在加拿大，联邦保守党及其领袖Andrew Scheer似乎步川普之后尘。他也向新闻媒体发起攻击，将新闻记者划为支持政府的特权阶层，公开批评那些他们看不惯的所谓“不准确和有失公正的”的新闻报道。据《环球邮报》称，彭博驻渥京站新闻记者因引用支持碳税改革的新闻发布信息而被称为为“自由党记者”。

In Canada, the federal Conservative Party and its Leader, Andrew Scheer, seems to follow suit. He waged heightened attacks against the news media, lumping reporters with pro-government elites and publicly criticizing stories that they deem to be inaccurate or biased.  According to the Globe, a Conservative MP referred Josh Wingrove, a Bloomberg correspondent in Ottawa,  as a “Liberal reporter” for citing a news release supporting the carbon tax.

随着大选期间对媒体的这类抨击泛滥于社交媒体，公众对新闻报道的信心跌至历史新低。即使该文的投诉者都对《大中报》是否在调查过程中是否能够保持其政治中立，进行公平报道产生怀疑。

As charges of media bias flood social media during an election campaign, confidence in the news media has hit a new low. Even the source of the story was concerned about our intention and our ability to maintain political neutrality in investigating the allegations. 

大选期间，公众在投票之前应获得足够信息对候选人做出充分了解，这对确保选出最能赢得公众信赖的政客，推进民主是至关重要的。而为公众提供准确信息则是媒体的崇高任务和职责。

It is fundamentally important – particularly during an election campaign that the public acquires accurate information about the candidates as they head to the polls to choose the most trustworthy representatives. It is the media’s responsibility to fulfill such a duty and mandate.

 

保护媒体自由的“无国界记者“的北美部主任Margaux Ewen 表示：“新闻记者有责任向大众提供信息让公众做出明智选择。新闻报道是民主的基石，因此新闻记者的工作应受到保护，即使那些对其新闻报道内容持不同意见和看法的权力机构也应对他们的工作提供支持和帮助。我们对那些特别在大选期间所使用的各种诋毁媒体的伎俩非常担忧。“

“Journalists provide information that is critical in helping the public make informed decisions. They are therefore a key pillar of democracy, and their work must be protected as such, even by those in power who may not agree with their reporting,” said Margaux Ewen, North American director for Reporters Without Borders, an NGO that defends media freedom. “[We are] concerned by any tactics that seek to discredit the media, especially in the context of an election.”

 

《大中报》对柯文彬投票指控的报道旨在恪守不畏强势，挑战权力人士，揭露事实真相的媒体职责。它既不受广告利益驱使，也摆脱了竞选中党派势力。它没有任何也政治动机，也不代表本报的任何政治观点及党派倾向。

The article reporting Vincent Ke’s voting allegations was seeking to fulfill media mandate to challenge the powerful and to hold them to account. It was free from commercial bias and independent of political influence. It was not motivated by a political agenda, nor does it represent a paper’s position towards a political party.

在履行独立媒体义务和尽媒体职责的过程中，《大中报》竭力做到政治中立，报道平衡。《大中报》会对社区政客，公众人物的任何不恰当行为的指控进行调查，不管他们的政治观点如何，也不管他们属于哪个党派，团体。

In its effort to bring independent journalism to the world, Chinese News strives to be politically neutral and to be balanced in our reports. It would investigate or report on alleged wrongdoings by any politicians or public figures from the community – regardless of his/her political views or what parties they belong.

 

这篇调查报告完全满足新闻报道所要遵循的公平，准确报道的原则，且符合“责任报道“的要求。报道完全基于事实，信息准确。在我们收到读者投诉后，我们通过各种可能渠道努力对信息进行核实，包括访问投票所使用的地址，致电事件中涉及人物，通过电邮和电话征求柯议员对投诉做出的回应等等。

As an investigation report, it meets journalism standards of fair and accurate reporting and follow the practices of responsible journalism. The factual reporting includes a large amount of accurate information. We went above and beyond to verify the allegations – including visiting the home of the alleged address used in the voting, calling those involved and seeking a response from the MPP, through both phone calls and emails.

毋庸置疑，没有您的支持《大中报》无法履行任何其所承诺的职责。因此，我们需要读者，公众和社区的帮助，鼓励和支持。如果你明了或察觉到任何公众人物的错误行为，请你联系《大中报》。

Needless to say, none of the mandate or responsibilities can be fulfilled without your involvement in it. As such, we are seeking the assistance and support from readers, the public and the community. If you are aware of or suspect any misconduct of a public official, please forward it to us.