策劃、編譯■魏世昌
最近義、法兩國媒體與當權者似乎處得不大愉快。
義大利媒體工作者9日大罷工，反對總理貝魯斯柯尼提議的箝制監聽法案，
當天全國幾乎沒報可讀，也沒有任何即時新聞報導。
法國興起的「揭醜」線上新聞網站，對槓總統沙柯吉政治獻金案，
雖沙柯吉氣得跳腳，仍保有一定的新聞自由度。
當權者與新聞自由之間，永遠在拔河。
法國一個線上新聞網站勇於調查最新的政治獻金醜聞，不畏總統沙柯吉的努力，打擊他在媒體的影響力。
An upstart online news service has led the way in investigating France’s latest political funding scandal, defying President Nicolas Sarkozy’s efforts to stamp （1） his influence on the media.
■法國總統沙柯吉近日遭政治獻金醜聞案纏身，Mediapart新聞網站對此窮追猛打，不過沙柯吉對此也沒輒。 （圖文／路透）
法國女首富貝登古，疑似非法政治捐獻給保守政客，並且插手司法事務，線上新聞網站Mediapart對事件刊登一系列令他難堪的專題報導，讓沙柯吉怒不可抑。
The Mediapart website has published a stream of embarrassing reports of alleged cash donations by France’s richest woman, Liliane Bettencourt, to conservative politicians, and meddling in judicial affairs, drawing presidential wrath.
網站Mediapart的報導設定了醜聞案議題，其他媒體不得不跟進報導，此事成為當前法國政府最頭痛的問題。
Mediapart’s reports have set the agenda on the scandal, forcing the rest of the media to follow, and turning the affair into a major headache for the government.
Mediapart為一種全新型態、揭發名人醜聞的媒體之一，立場大致左傾。該網站的成立，對多年來受困於發行量下跌與廣告營收不斷惡化的法國媒體，投下震撼彈。
Mediapart is one of a new breed of muckraking （2）, mostly left-leaning online news outlets that is shaking up the French press, which is reeling after years of sinking circulation and deteriorating ad sales.
沙柯吉與傳統媒體老闆的親密友誼，與控制國營電視、廣播電台，讓他經常得以塑造報導上的形象，並藉此孤立他不喜歡的記者與編輯。
Sarkozy’s close friendships with traditional media owners and control of state-funded TV and radio outlets have often allowed him to shape news coverage and isolate journalists or editors who displeased him.
Mediapart、Rue89與Bakchich.info等網站不太容易受到這種影響，這些網站透過大量的獨家新聞與堅定的立場吸引讀者。
Websites like Mediapart, Rue89, and Bakchich.info are less prone to such influence and are attracting readers by putting out scoops （3） with a harder-hitting tone.
不同於其他報紙，他們不倚賴政府補貼或產業界金主來維持生存。然而，大多數仍無利可圖，顯見線上媒體的商業經營模式仍有待考驗。
Unlike many newspapers, they are not dependent on government subsidies or industrial owners with deep pockets to survive. Yet most remain unprofitable so far, showing how hard it is to find a viable online media business model.
Mediapart由《世界報》前4名調查記者於2008年創立。Mediapart表示，目前有3萬名訂戶，每月支付9歐元（台幣364元）閱讀社會、政治與環境議題相關報導。
Founded in 2008 by four former investigative journalists on Le Monde, Mediapart says it has 30,000 subscribers who pay 9 euros a month to read its reports on social, political and environmental issues.
"CYBER-CABAL"網路陰謀集團網站老闆艾德維．普勒奈爾因揭露社會黨黨揆弗朗索瓦．密特朗的醜聞案而聲名大噪，更因此晉升為《世界報》編輯部主任。他告訴旗下25名記者，報導內容著重在內幕消息而非一般性的報導。
Its president, Edwy Plenel, who made his name by exposing scandals under Socialist president Francois Mitterrand and rose to be editorial director of Le Monde, tells the staff of 25 reporters to focus on scoops instead of routine coverage.
Mediapart專責中東與非洲報導的記者皮耶．普查特說：「一開始，艾德維就告訴我們要花時間進行調查、找出原始資料，並走出邏輯式的每日循環新聞。」
"From the beginning, he told us to take the time to investigate, come up with original material, and step out of the logic of the daily news cycle where everyone writes the same thing," said Pierre Puchot, a journalist at Mediapart, who covers the Middle East and Africa.
法國政府將貝登古醜聞案歸咎於線上新聞的偽劣與偏袒。
The government’s response has been to blame the Bettencourt scandal on shoddy or partisan Internet journalism.
沙柯吉的支持者猛烈批評Mediapart為「網路陰謀集團」，破壞民主，也不查核事實，僅聚集了推文與部落格等線上回應。
Sarkozy supporters have fiercely attacked Mediapart as a "cyber-cabal" that undermines democracy, doesn’t check its facts and only aggregates "tweets and blogs."
工業部長艾斯羅希在一場電台專訪中驚呼：「這個有名的網站！他讓我想起了1930年代的某種媒體。」言下之意，將該網站等同於當年的法國極右派報紙。
"This famous website!" exclaimed Industry Minister Christian Estrosi in a radio interview. "It reminds me of a certain press of the 1930s," a reference to extreme-right newspapers which denounced France’s political class as rotten to the core.
執政黨人民運動聯盟主席柏川德稱Mediapart為「使用法西斯手段的網站」。對此，Mediapart已控告柏川德誹謗，並誓言持續追縱報導。
Xavier Bertrand, leader of the ruling UMP party, called Mediapart "a site that uses fascist methods." In response, Mediapart has sued Bertrand for defamation （4） and vowed to continue working on the story.
艾德維在社論中表示：「先前，我們受到忽視與鄙視；但現在我們已晉升至對手主要攻擊與妖魔化的敵人。現在最佳的應對措施，就是堅持不懈地繼續調查。」
"Until now we’ve been ignored or disdained, but now we have been elevated to the rank of principal adversary to be attacked and demonized," Plenel wrote in an editorial. "Our best response is to doggedly pursue our investigation."
對巴黎索邦大學新聞學教授派崔克．伊韋諾來說，Mediapart踢爆的這則醜聞案，是法國報紙長期以來深層積弊的病徵。
For journalism professor Patrick Eveno of Paris’ Sorbonne University, Mediapart’s leadership on the latest scandal is a sign of a deep malaise among French newspapers.
他說：「傳統媒體因財務問題窒息而亡，對權利的監督窒礙難行。但像Mediapart等網站能夠承擔更大的風險，因為他們獨立運作，不必擔心老闆的干預。」
"The traditional press is so asphyxiated by financial problems that it is not doing its job as a check on power," he said. "Sites like Mediapart can take more risks because they are independent and don’t have to worry about their owners."
相較於歐洲其他國家，即便法國報紙不斷流失讀者與廣告商，仍背負著更高的薪酬壓力、印刷和發行成本。
Even as they lose readers and advertisers, French papers are saddled with higher salaries, print and distribution costs than in other European countries.
根據發行量稽核機構統計，2009年間，收費報刊發行量下跌了4.9％。
Paid national newspaper circulation fell 4.9 percent in 2009 from a year ago, according to the circulation audit bureau.
有些報紙面臨破產邊緣。《世界報》最近出售控股給3人股東避免破產。而大眾報《巴黎人報》正在尋求買主。
Some are on the brink. Le Monde recently moved to sell a controlling stake to a trio of investors to avoid bankruptcy. The owner of mass-market daily Le Parisien is seeking a buyer.
許多日報都在尋求更大的工業集團為靠山，這些老闆通常是與政治人物關係良好的商業鉅子。
Many dailies have sought refuge in larger industrial groups, often owned by business tycoons （5） with close ties to politicians.
《費佳洛日報》為法國軍火達梭集團鉅子塞日爾．達梭商業帝國的一部分，他同時身為沙柯吉的好友。而《回聲報》為世界最大精品集團酩悅．軒尼詩－路易威登集團總裁伯納德．阿諾特所有。
Le Figaro is part of the business empire of Serge Dassault, an aerospace and armaments tycoon and friend of Sarkozy, while Les Echos is owned by Bernard Arnault, chief executive of the LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton luxury conglomerate.
派崔克視線上新聞網站的崛起為一種積極的發展。不過，他好奇是否有足夠後勁填補傳統媒體造成的裂縫。
Eveno sees the rise of online news outlets as a positive development but wonders whether they will have the staying power to fill the void left by a sinking traditional press.
「這些網站是否找到了能長期走下去的商業模式，目前尚不明朗。」派崔克說。
"It’s not clear that these sites have figured out a business model that will hold over the long term," said Eveno.
Mediapart冀望2012年底前，提升訂戶至5萬人次。「揭醜」是吸引讀者群的一大號召：單單在星期二這天（5日），1千4百名新用戶註冊，本月已成長了20％。
Mediapart hopes to break even by the end of 2012 if it can reach 50,000 subscribers. Muckraking is fuelling its readership: some 1,400 new users signed up for Mediapart on Tuesday alone and subscriptions have jumped 20 percent this month.
（路透Reuters）
關鍵字詞Key Words
1. stamp
(v.) 毀掉、破壞
2. muckraking
(n.) 扒糞、揭醜
3. scoop
(n.) 獨家新聞
4. defamation
(n.) 誹謗
5. tycoon
(n.) 商業鉅子
文章來源: 台灣立報
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