Soldiers from the Chengdu Military Command Area load a bag of rice onto a helicopter heading to quake-hit areas in Lushan, Sichuan province, on Wednesday. GUO LILIANG / FOR CHINA DAILY |
Knowing I am covering the earthquake in the epicenter, a lot of friends have shown deep concerns for me, and I really appreciate that. But reporters are creatures bursting with curiosity and always eager to be at the front. For reporters, covering disasters is more like an opportunity rather than a risk. It is hard to control your ego while you are flooded with people calling you brave and righteous. Reporters are just human beings. But you have to control it. The worst situation would be that you become narcissistic before you arrive at the disaster area. I have constantly been reminding myself: why am I here? I am a reporter. I am here to cover the news. My work should always come first, and the personal experience second. I am not saying that reporters should not share their private thoughts, as long as those feelings are meaningful for the audience. I believe the point of our "Reporter's Log" is to give readers an opportunity to see the quake zone through our eyes. It's not meant to be a forum for boasting about how much we've suffered. We have suffered, of course: cold weather, hunger, fatigue and danger. But am I afraid? Not at all. Not when I traveled to the epicenter, not when I was dodging falling rocks. I did panic for a few seconds during an aftershock on Sunday, the second day after the magnitude-7 earthquake. It was the first time I had experienced an earthquake. The earth was shaking, and so were the buildings around me. But I soon became numb to all the aftershocks, just like the survivors. The aftershocks kept happening, but it didn't interrupt people from going about their daily lives. To be honest, some of my colleagues in the disaster zone have had faced more difficulties than me, not to mention the people who lost their families and homes in the tragedy. Some reporters who arrived at the area earlier than me woke up in sleeping bags soaked with rainwater. I don't have any reason to show any self-pity, although I posted a few status updates on my social networking page. I could not help it. But what is worse than showing off is being more of a hindrance than a help. When your heroism overpowers your professionalism, you are more of a nuisance. There are some enthusiastic volunteers whose presence in the area has added to the difficulties that rescue workers face. In one instance, rescuers received a message from a volunteer who was lost and asked for help. Rescuers hurried to the spot where the volunteer said he got lost, but by the time they arrived he sent another message saying he had found his way out of the mountains and didn't need their help anymore. Another volunteer I met wearing ripped jeans said she planned to walk 10 kilometers to get to the epicenter. I didn't think she would make it. A middle-aged man sought attention from the national media, claiming he had been here to help since the earthquake struck. He showed them a file full of newspaper clippings of his stories. I am not saying they don't have a right to be here, to take pictures and get raw materials. But the question is: how much can you help? Are you the right person to help? There was one guy I liked. Brother Chen, a Sichuan resident and a veteran, participated in the rescue work after a devastating flood in 1998 and the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. He was quiet and had no interest in socializing. He was more capable than many amateur rescuers, but he chose to spend his time driving rescue crews around the area. It was a boring job compared with digging people out of the debris, but one that needed to be done. As for reporters, our job is not easy, but we are more of a nuisance in many cases. To cover a story about high school students going back to class, at least 30 reporters squeezed into a classroom with 110 students. They asked questions, cracked the shutters and the lights from their cameras bothered the students. The teachers eventually asked the reporters to leave. How do you pick the right time, location and angle for a story? How do you write a story that is not a cliche? How do you spot a problem that has been ignored? How do you find a story that hasn't been told? It takes time, strength and patience. It takes ethics and talent. In a word: professionalism. I was really worried about being a burden rather than a helper. In the end, many thanks go to my editors and other reporters based in Beijing. We had the cool experience, while they worked long hours fixing our stories. Every time I see my story in the newspaper, I am filled with gratitude. |
大家知道我來震區(qū)報(bào)道,都說要注意身體注意安全。這是朋友的關(guān)心。 可對于記者這種充滿好奇心、總是渴望抵達(dá)現(xiàn)場的物種來講,出發(fā)的沖動(dòng)往往多過這些憂慮,所以,是冒險(xiǎn),更是成全?;蛘哒f,冒險(xiǎn)成全都有,比例自知。 只是,當(dāng)你收到他人的祝福與贊賞時(shí),虛榮心很難完全安分。人嘛。 但若是意識到這趟差本也是一種成全,那自我感動(dòng)和自我表揚(yáng)就一定得收著點(diǎn)。最怕的是人還沒到,自我陶醉已經(jīng)開始。 時(shí)刻提醒自己,為什么去?去當(dāng)記者的,寫新聞。工作第一,體驗(yàn)第二,體驗(yàn)也是為工作服務(wù)的。 自己到見聞和經(jīng)歷也不是不能分享,但關(guān)鍵是對公眾有沒有價(jià)值?報(bào)社讓寫reporter's log,我們的出發(fā)點(diǎn)也是通過個(gè)人觀感反映震區(qū)情況,而非個(gè)人艱險(xiǎn)。 當(dāng)然,說不累不餓不冷不險(xiǎn)也是假的。怕么?說實(shí)話出發(fā)時(shí)完全沒有。(reporters always up for adventure!)上寶興時(shí),最后徒步在幾個(gè)關(guān)卡與流沙碎石賽跑時(shí)也顧不上怕。 不過21號下午的強(qiáng)余震時(shí)真心慌了幾秒,從小到大第一次感受到地震,腳底下站不穩(wěn),眼前的房子也晃了。可再后來,就習(xí)慣了,麻木了。聊著聊著就震了,繼續(xù)聊。災(zāi)區(qū)人民就是這么過來的。 就算突破了自我,但捫心自問,比起冒著更大風(fēng)險(xiǎn)更早進(jìn)入的同行們,比起一覺醒來被雨打濕的同事們,自己的處境還算好的。 和災(zāi)區(qū)傷亡和無家可歸的群眾們,就更不能相提并論。 所以特別怕自己矯情,怕露怯。(雖然hold不住的時(shí)候還是忍不住發(fā)了幾條朋友圈) 露怯事小,添亂事大。 自我感動(dòng)就容易讓英雄主義蓋過專業(yè)主義。就容易添亂。 志愿者添亂的事兒大家聽說了。 那天聽一個(gè)志愿司機(jī)說有志愿者上山,結(jié)果被困,四處發(fā)信息求救,結(jié)果很多專業(yè)隊(duì)員過去,結(jié)果他自己已經(jīng)出來,消耗可很多救援力量。 穿著破洞牛仔褲的女生搭摩托進(jìn)寶興的我也見了,還說第二天要徒步十公里下鄉(xiāng)。呵呵。 還看到有一個(gè)陜西來的中年男性,說自己第一天就進(jìn)來了,四處找陜西媒體,又拿出來一個(gè)整理的特別好的夾子,都是他過往的報(bào)道集,說中央媒體也該關(guān)注他。 不是說不能自我成全,不是不能留影,不是不能掙談資,但問題是你到底能幫上多大忙?是不是最適合幫這個(gè)忙的人? 最欣賞是陳哥。四川人,退伍兵,參加過98抗洪,汶川援救,不吵吵,不扎堆。要說能力肯定比很多沒有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的志愿者強(qiáng)多了,但他選擇給紅十字的藍(lán)天救援隊(duì)調(diào)配志愿車輛,因?yàn)檫@活兒需要人做。他也做的好。 記者耽誤事兒的說法也有了。 替大家說一句話,很多人,真的不易。但扎堆也是真的。 24號上午寶興中學(xué)高三復(fù)課,第一節(jié)心里課,到了110多個(gè)學(xué)生,記者差不多也有30-40,閃光燈不停,最后讓老師勸出來了。 怎樣選擇報(bào)道時(shí)間、地點(diǎn)、角度?如何差異化報(bào)道?如何發(fā)現(xiàn)沒發(fā)現(xiàn)的問題?講述未講述的故事?這需要精力體力心力,需要節(jié)操,更需要能力。 說到底,還是專業(yè)二字。不怕日日冷餓困,就怕自己武器鈍。沒寫好稿子,還耽誤救援。惴惴不安。 也不敢忘記,稿子不僅僅是前線的功勞,體驗(yàn)讓我們占了,風(fēng)頭讓我們搶了,入夜我們睡了,擦屎擦尿的是后方,加班加點(diǎn)的是后方。每次稿子出來之后,真心欣慰和感激。 相關(guān)閱讀 加拿大駐華大使:中、加擬簽署逃犯轉(zhuǎn)移資產(chǎn)追回條約 (中國日報(bào)記者:唐躍 本文為編譯,英文原文刊登于4月25日版《中國日報(bào)》) |