6.07.2007

邊緣回望

"You run towards what everyone else is running away from, believing your camera will somehow protect you, not really caring if it doesn't. All you want to do is get it, feel it, be in it. The images frame themselves sometimes, the action flows right through you....."

Anderson Cooper 是美國24小時新聞電視台CNN的紅牌主播之一﹐名氣僅次晚間節目主持Larry King 。從2005年起﹐他個人節目時段《Anderson Cooper 360度》極受歡迎。他年僅四十﹐銀灰色的短髮冰藍色的眸子﹐有著鷹狼般敏銳的觸覺和觀察力﹐ 然而報道卻又適當地滲入人性和感情﹐採訪手法自成一格﹐是傳統方方正正的新聞journalist 所罕見。

Dispatches From the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters and Survival》是 Cooper 2006年出版的回憶錄。Cooper 的父親是著名編劇/作家﹐母親是巨富之後﹐集名媛/演員/藝術家/時裝名人於一身﹐充滿傳奇色彩。回憶錄從他的家庭背景述起﹐當中穿插2005年元旦以來多宗災區及戰地的採訪經歷﹕海嘯後的斯里蘭卡﹐戰火塗炭的伊拉克及Niger﹐及被颱風Katrina 蹂躝破壞後的新奧爾良……將人生的插曲和和世界大事巧妙地相互交織。

因幼年時父親病逝﹐兄長(在母親面前﹗)跳樓身故﹐Cooper自言不敢投入生命﹐讓自己再承受任何傷害和損失。換來的是「神風敢死隊」似的工作方式﹐一次又一次深入險地﹐透過攝影機鏡頭冷眼旁觀修羅場般血肉模糊的世界。這本書Cooper 既作出自我性格剖析﹐也透過近年的天災戰禍﹐讓讀者反思眼前的生活。

2007年4月版的Out 雜誌以Cooper 及女演員Jodie Foster作為封面大字標題﹐說這些在幕前具有影響力的人物﹐應該跨過心理關口﹐從「玻璃衣櫃 」走出來﹐不要強裝沉默。

Cooper畢業於耶魯大學﹐身具近二十年的記者經驗﹐文思流暢迅速﹐措辭誠懇﹐當中透現迫真的描繪手法﹐令讀者有貼身隨行的感覺。閱畢Cooper的回憶錄﹐有點了解為什麼他會建起厚厚的圍牆藏著自己。

也許。不聽。不觸摸。不痛楚。
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題外話 1﹕CNN 從1980立台至今﹐本質已變﹐從cutting edge﹑充滿熱忱的新聞報道﹐成為了充滿商業銅臭味的corporate 巨人﹐公信力已遠不如當年。尤其9/11及入侵伊拉克的報道﹐曾幾何時近乎搬字過紙地轉載政府的官方訊息﹐成為了總統W及主戰派的喉舌﹐失去了新聞業界應有的「獨立﹐審查﹐分析和評論」功能。縱然現在業界(和群眾) 已漸漸醒覺﹐開始提問早應追問的政策問題 ﹐如﹕駐守伊拉克的總方略﹐天文數字般的國債赤字及國防開支﹐與日俱增的軍民傷亡數目﹐及遙遙無期的社會重建及轍軍安排等……CNN是一種24小時的info-tainment﹐實已今非昔比。


題外話 2﹕十年前看過一本書名為《China Live: Two Decades in the Heart of the Dragon》﹐作者Mike Chinoy﹐現為 CNN 駐港的社長。Chinoy 從73年踏足中國﹐便和中國結下不解之緣。這本書除了是作者事業的回憶錄外﹐也紀錄了三十多年來神洲的變遷。一併推薦。

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Vince...

I read this book last year too and I watch AC360 very often too.

I like the way he covers news, displays all the facts for viewers to decide whats right, whats wrong.

Unlike some other newscasters who shove their opinions into your ears, AC is definitely the best news anchor today.

Dom

best actor said...

Hey Dom,

LTNT. How's life?

I enjoyed this book and I picked it up at Chapters initially wanting to buy another book. Must be the "power of thinking without thinking" LOL!

I watched AC 360 the night before and AC refused to say Paris Hilton's name, so hilarious! AC didn't quite consider her story remotely newsworthy. I think he tried to hold on to his journalistic integrity, despite the three-ring circus newsworld is all about rating, not professionalism.

Vince

Anonymous said...

I know... long time no talk, u're never on msn.. life's good (LG, lol), still with Nespresso, brainwashing ppl to buy my machines, or failing to do so, to be exact.

"she who must not be named" is back in jail! hurray. but i bet there's gonna be another twist to this story in the near future, so watch out.

I love the 360 news and business bulletin segments with erica hill so much! their small talks are really funny at times... they love making fun of Taiwanese politicians fist fights... (watch the clip below... lol

http://s201.photobucket.com/albums/aa218/anniekatec/shotofday/?action=view¤t=Terminator-WonderTwins.flv

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