经济学人下载:生活在环球小报中

With circulation comes clout. British politicians may be afraid of the tabloids, butthe papers themselves see their role more as providing entertainment. The German tabloid is more political than its British counterpart, with three times more political coverage, says Susanne Höke, who has written a book comparing the Sun with Bild. In both countries tabloids help set the toneof political debate, but Bild's stunts are more imaginative and upmarket. Early in the euro crisis, Bild sent a reporter to hand out drachmas in Athens,allowing the paper to boast that it was giving "the bankrupt Greeks their drachmas back". It also mischievously suggested that the Greeks sell some islands and the Acropolis to pay their debt.

伴随发行量而来的便是报纸的影响力。英国政客们可能会害怕小报，但是这些报纸把更多的把自己定位为提供娱乐的报纸。“德国小报与其英国同行相比显得更加的政治化，拥有超过其三倍的政治报道量，”曾写过一本书来对比《太阳报》和《图片报》的苏珊娜·胡克（Susanne Höke）说道。在两国，小报帮助政治讨论奠定基调，但是《图片报》的技巧更加的富于想象力和高级。在早先的欧元区危机中，《图片报》派出一名记者去雅典散发德拉克马（希腊货币），然后这家报纸就吹嘘它正向“破产的希腊归还他们的钱”。它也戏谑地暗示：希腊卖出一些小岛和雅典卫城来还债。

The political coverage helps hacks at the German paper take themselves seriously. Many see their paper as a pillar of democracy in the "midst of society", according to Kai Diekmann, its editor. It also makes them more hypocritical. "They know what they are doing, but don't admit it,"says Ms Höke. Regulation also plays a role. Germany'spress watchdog is less toothless than Britain's PressComplaints Commission. Better legal protection for journalists makes themless reliant on tough investigative methods. British tabloids spend a lot more on reporting and research than Bild, which relies more on freelancers and agencies, notes Ms Höke.

政治新闻报道使得这家德国报纸的从业者更加重视他们自己。《图片报》主编卡伊·迪克曼（Kai Diekmann）指出，许多人将他们的报纸视为民主的一个支柱。同时，政治新闻报道也使得从业者更加的伪善。“他们了解他们在做什么，但是却从不承认”，胡克说道。规章管理也发挥著作用。德国的新闻监管机构比英国的新闻投诉委员会（PPC）更有权势。更好的法律保护可以使新闻工作者们更少的依赖艰苦的调查方式。胡克指出，英国小报要比《图片报》花费更多的时间和精力在汇报和调查中，《图片报》则更多的依靠自由撰稿者和公众服务机构。

Scoops are one thing, skulduggery another. In the dark arts of journalism—hacking into voicemail, bribing the police for tips, or obtaining private financial and health information—British tabloids have stooped lower than anyone. Despite its treatment of Mr Fischer, Bild's behaviour is "clearly lessdestructive", says Lukas Heinser, who writes for BILDblog, which chronicles the paper's failings.

独家报道是一回事，作假欺诈又是另外一回事。在新闻业黑暗手腕使用中——侵入他人语音信箱、收买警方消息或者获得私人财务和健康信息——英国小报比其他任何同行都娴熟。尽管如此对待费舍尔，《图片报》的行为“显然破坏力较低”，卢卡斯·海因斯说道，他为图片报博客撰文，这个博客记录了这家报纸的失败。

Farther east, the dirtiest tactics in the ex-communist world involve"Kompromat"—embarrassing information from government files,particularly involving corruption or ties with the former communist secret police.But this is leaked, not bought or stolen. Politicians' private lives arelargely taboo, even in countries with lively tabloids such as Poland.

再往东去，在前共产主义世界，最肮脏的手腕还包括“Kompromat——来自政府文件的令人尴尬的消息，特别是包括腐败或者与前共产主义秘密警察的关系。但这些消息是出去泄露的，不是购买或者偷的。政治家的私人生活在很大程度上是禁忌，即使是在拥有活跃小报的国家，比如波兰。