因此,“软新闻”主播的驾驭能力形成的有效传播效果的达成,是建立在透彻关照人类的共性,即:对美好、幸福生活的向往与追求;对挫折、困难表现出的坚韧和顽强;对弱者表达的同情、怜悯;对家人、朋友承担的责任和义务等等基础之上的。这样,受众面前的“软新闻”主播,就是一位有血有肉的人,而非阅读“白纸黑字”的“播音机器”;是呈现与传递人之真性情的同类,而非令受众感动的“异族”。
总之,对于在对外英语广播领域担任“软新闻”主播的职业角色定位,笔者在已经出版的《英语节目主持人概论》一书中有很详尽的探讨和论述,主要围绕这三方面(林海春,2005,第118-157页)展开:国际文化(交叉)传播之“文化鸿沟”的“架桥者”;国际文化传播中“文化冲突”的斡旋者;国际文化(交叉)传播之“本土文化”传播的“使者”。
第二节对外英语广播“软新闻”主播的心理态势——解析新闻故事
在对外广播领域的从业人员,都是以集采编播一体化的职业角色来完成节目的,所以,对外英语广播中的“软新闻”主播,也是需要具有如此的职业素质。就对“英播”的培养计划设计而言,笔者也是根据自己在海内外业界的从业经验为出发点来完成的。目前看来,对于受训的学生的职业素质的提高、职业理念的亲身体验达到的认识,是很有帮助意义的。尤其对于直接通过高考后来学习的他们来说,根本没有一秒钟的从业经历来理解笔者说给他们的任何语言讲解,更是需要设计出直接令他们感受这一职业的特殊性及挑战性的表述方式和训练方法。
于是,在如何把对外英语广播“软新闻”主播的心理态势——“讲述新闻故事”的理论,变成使他们易于理解和接受的具体操作方法的思考过程后,就有了直接组织他们进行最具体的“软新闻”采编播的设计途径。由于“软新闻”的内容是与“硬新闻”不同的新闻写作方法,所以,就安排他们直接触及社会与文化的要素,去发现和提炼具有对外传播意义的新闻故事。因此,对于“软新闻”主播建立成熟的职业心理态势——“讲述新闻故事”的第一步,就是需要了解和掌握“软新闻”的搜集和写作方法。
首先,“软新闻”主播的选题范畴。
因为“软新闻”已经被定义为除了“硬新闻”涵盖的“动态新闻”外的社会精神气质与文化蕴涵,所以,搜集和写作“软新闻”的主播,就应该谨记这样的原则:“‘What is news?’One of the best answers is provided by an authority on journalism,Melvin Mencher.He says,‘Most news stories are about events that(1)have an impact on many people,(2)describe unusual or exceptional situations or events,or(3)are about widely known or prominent people.’In Basic News Writing,5th ed.,he goes on to say that other elements heighten the news value of an event,including conflict,proximity and timeless.‘Boiled down to its essentials,’Mencher says,‘every story is about either a person who has said or done something important or interesting or a person to whom something important or interesting has happened.’Or the story is about‘an event of importance or interest to many people.’”(Block,1997, 第33页)。
将以上的定义解释作为书写“软新闻”的前提,对外英语广播“软新闻”主播在撰写和展示时,必须彻底意识到以下12种绝对不能出现的错误。Block(1997, 第1-18页)做出了以下清楚的总结:
Dozen Deadly Don'ts
1)Don't scare listeners.And don't scare them away.A prime—but not prime-time—example is this first sentence of a broadcast :
“This is a very complicated and confusing financial story.”
2)Don't give orders.Don't tell listeners to do this or do that.Don't tell them to listen,or watch,or stay,or fetch.Just give them the news.
3)Don't bury a strong verb in a noun.Instead of writing a lead about a“bomb explosion”write:“A bomb exploded.”Nouns are the bones that give a sentence body.But verbs are the muscles that make it go.If your first sentence lacks a vigorous verb,your will lack go-power.
4)Don't start a story with as expected.When listeners hear a story begin with as expected and the story turns out to be something they did not expect,they probably feel they don't know what's going on.
4a)Don't start a story with In a surprise move.A network also broadcast this lead(all s that were broadcast are boldface):
In a surprise move,the Interstate Commerce Commission rejected the proposal to merge the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads.
4b)Don't start a story by saying,A new development tonight in the…Every item in a newscast is supposed to be fairly new,based on something newly developed.And don't start a newscast by saying,“We begin with….”As soon as you open your mouth,listeners know you've begun.Equally useless:“Our top story tonight is….”If it's the first story,it should be the top story.Top stories run at the top.So skip that needless opener and go straight to the news.And don't write,“Topping our news tonight….”Sounds like Reddi-wip.
5)Don't characterise news as good,bad,interesting or shocking.Just report the news.Let the listener decide whether it's good,bad,interesting or shocking.What's good for some is bad for others.What seems,at first glance,to be good,can turn out to be bad.What's good for a city-dweller may be bad for a farmer.
5a.)Don't start with a participial phrase or a dependent clause.It's not the way we talk.And it's not the way to help listeners latch onto a story.Would you say to a friend,“Needing new shoes,I'm going downtown tomorrow to buy a pair”?No.You'd say,“I need new shoes,so tomorrow I'm going downtown to buy some.”
5b.)Don't start a story with a quotation.Listeners cannot see quotation marks.And they cannot examine your .So when an anchor starts with a quotation,listeners assume the words are the anchors's own.
5c.)Don't start a story with a question.Why not?Opening questions tend to sound like quiz shows or commercials.Questions can be hard to deliver,draw an answer you don't want,and trivialise the news.Also,questions delay delivery of the news.And listeners are looking for answers,not questions.
6.)Don't start a story with There is,There are or It is.They are dead phrases—wordy and wasteful.The power of a sentence lies largely in a muscular verb.A sentence gets its get-up-and-go from an action verb like“smash”or“shoot”or“kill”-or hundreds of other verbs that express action.Example:
A there lead,this on local television,needs corrective surgery:
There's a train rolling through town tonight.But this is one you definitely won't mind missing.
By deleting there's,we make the sentence shorter.And by making it shorter,we make it stronger.The story is about a train,not about there.After we lop off there's,let's write it right:
A train is rolling through town tonight….
6a.)Don't write a first sentence in which the main verb is any of to be,like is,are,was,were and will be.It's not wrong,just weak.Sometimes it is acceptable,even desirable.But it's better to search for an action verb.One of the biggest weaknesses in broadcast news is the opening sentence.Too many limp—or just lie there.This network shows how not to do it: