单选题
Why do so many Americans distrust what they read in
their newspapers? The American Society of Newspaper Editors is trying to answer
this painful question. The organization is deep into a long self-analysis known
as the journalism credibility project. Sad to say,this project
has turned out to be mostly low-level findings about factual errors and spelling
and grammar mistakes, combined with lots of head-scratching puzzlement about
what in the world those readers really want. But the sources of
distrust go way deeper. Most journalists learn to see the world through a set of
standard templates (patterns) into which they plug each day's events. In other
words, there is a conventional story line in the newsroom culture that provides
a backbone and a ready-made narrative structure for otherwise confusing
news. There exists a social and cultural disconnect between
journalists and their readers, which helps explain why the "standard templates"
of the newsroom seem alien to many readers. In a recent survey, questionnaires
were sent to reporters in five middle-size, cities around the country, plus one
large metropolitan area. Then residents in these communities were phoned at
random and asked the same questions. Replies show that compared
with other Americans, journalists are more likely to live in upscale
neighborhoods, have maids, own Mercedeses, and trade stocks, and they're less
likely to go to church to do volunteer work, or put down roots in a
community. Reporters tend to be part of a broadly defined
social and cultural elite, so their work tends to reflect the conventional
values of this elite. The astonishing distrust of the news media isn't rooted in
inaccuracy or poor reportorial skills but in the daily clash of world views
between reporters and their readers. This is an explosive
situation for any industry, particularly a declining one. Here is a troubled
business that keeps hiring employees whose attitudes vastly annoy the customers.
Then it sponsors lots of symposiums and a credibility project dedicated to
wondering why customers are annoyed and fleeing in large numbers. But it never
seems to get around to noticing the cultural and class biases that so many
former buyers are complaining about. If it did, it would open up its diversity
program, now focused narrowly on race and gender, and look for reporters who
differ broadly by outlook, values, education, and class.
单选题
What is the passage mainly about?
A. needs of the readers all over the world
B. causes of the public disappointment about newspapers