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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 selfanalysis known as the journalism credibility project.
sad to say, this project has turned out to be mostly lowlevel findings about factual errors and spelling and grammar mistakes, combined with lots of headscratching 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 readymade 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 middlesize 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, 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.
59．what is the passage mainly about?
［a］needs of the readers all over the world
［b］causes of the public disappointment about newspapers
［c］origins of the declining newspaper industry
［d］aims of a journalism credibility project
60．the results of the journalism credibility project turned out to be .
［a］quite trustworthy［b］somewhat contradictory
［c］very illuminating［d］rather superficial
61．the basic problem of journalists as pointed out by the writer lies in their .
［a］working attitude［b］conventional lifestyle
［c］world outlook［d］educational background
62．despite its efforts, the newspaper industry still cannot satisfy the readers owing to its .
［a］failure to realize its real problem ［b］tendency to hire annoying reporters
［c］likeliness to do inaccurate reporting［d］prejudice in matters of race and gender
核心词汇：
astonish ［e5stcnif］vt.使惊讶，使吃惊
backbone［5bakbeun］n.脊椎, 中枢, 骨干, 支柱, 意志力, 勇气, 毅力, 决心,主干(back bone)
bias［5baies］n./v.（使有）偏见,偏心,偏袒（bi 二 as 名词后缀→有两种观点→偏见
contradictory［7kcntre5dikteri］a.矛盾的，对立的（contradict反驳 ory形容词后缀）
conventional［ken5venfenel］a.惯例的,常规的（convention al）newsroom（编辑室；阅览室）←news room。
credibility［9kredi5biliti］n.可信性(cred ibility)，cred词根“相信”（如credit→cred it→信用），ibility名词后缀“可……性”（如ability←a （i）bility）
dedicate［5dedikeit］vt.奉献;献身于（de加强 dic说 ate动词后缀→反复说→致力于）
elite［ei5li:t］n.<法>［集合名词］精华;精锐;中坚分子（e出 lit=lig选 e 名词后缀→选出的人→精英人物）
factual［5faktfel］a.事实的, 实际的
gender［5dvende］n.（生理上的）性；（名词、代词等的）性（gen der名词后缀）
illuminating［i5lju:mi9neitin］a.照明的；启发的(illuminat（e） ing形容词后缀)，illuminate（照明；启发）可看作illumin ate，illumin谐音“一路明”，ate动词后缀，“使”“一路明”→照明→引申为“启发”。
metropolitan［metre5pcliten］a.首都的,主要都市的,大城市
plug［plqg］n.塞子,插头v.堵,塞,插上,插栓
