學生報開會討論下期方向,大家隨意拋了些可做的題目,諸如保育、文化藝術在香港。我在座中年級最高,但畢竟是記者仔一名,會議始終由編輯和幹事主導。
編輯在聽同學說完之後,便在一兩句內歸納各人的提議,這很正常。問題出於他們所用的詞句。
「...採訪大學生對立法會議員的看法...」「即係議會文化?」
「我想探討一下香港與其他大城市的分別...像紐約倫敦有文化產業,南韓有高科技電子產品,香港卻沒有,只靠金融市場催谷出財富...」 「你係咪想講創意工業?」
這些常被報紙刊物引用的詞句,本身或語意不通:像議會文化?文化可以出現在街頭、在歌劇院,總不會在議會中出現,議會只能有現象、慣例;或由政府創造以推廣政策,創意工業便是十一年前英國政府搞出來的新詞語,今日本地報章已用爛用透。
這些或習非成是或憑空創造而無深意的詞句,在耳濡目染下,大學生經常掛在口邊。在討論學生報內容時,以此類詞句籠統隨便地概括同學的意見,除了可能偏離了提案的本意,更劃地自限(說香港只靠金融,就必須引導到有無創意工業這個例牌話題?),窒礙原作者本身的新意與深度,跟著商業大報的尾巴走。
商業報刊既要銷紙,又要每日有料出街,文章不求深意,但求普羅大眾明白,只好把一個個淺薄概念無限複印,分析型報章從不暢銷,這是香港報界無奈的命運。但,我們現在搞的是大學學生報!從構思到出版,足足三個月時間,怎可未畢業便學壞師,向報界單一即食的習慣看齊?
觀乎各間大專院校的學生報,為數不少都是引用這樣一個詞語作題,東拉西扯前後不一致,或者通篇是作者從課堂學到的學術名詞,言詞似乎精警,邏輯立論卻毫不清晰,讓人疑惑大學生是否只有這種能力,寫一篇清楚乾淨的白話中文是否如斯困難。
我可以預期,我在會上提出的題目最終刊出時會變成:「大學生認為本地創意工業不足,需增進本土文化」標題下一幅幅大學生相片,圖片說明:「黃同學認為政府應促進文化發展......」
是不是讓人很懷念?實在有如小學時應付常識科老師的專題剪貼習作。見到某位編輯專注閱讀蘋果日報,我想,一切都可能有了解釋。
3 則留言:
近年我也覺得這種「簡單化」的傾向越來越流行。或許與蘋果不完全有關,只是在資訊超載的社會,太多的資訊帶來不安,人們於是不再渴求新的資訊或知識,而是意圖能夠建立一個封閉的認知架構、完全「掌握」這些資訊。
Dear 李慧軒 女士,
Hmmm, lets not blame 讀蘋果日報 as the source of the problems too quickly. Now, I am not defending 讀蘋 blindly as 讀蘋 is bad for so many other reasons.
What I will blame more is this "作者從課堂學到的學術名詞". Your colleagues may have been poisoned by the elitism embedded in the shinny "學術名詞". Thinking that by spitting out impressive sounding "學術名詞" they learned from classes or read from books or journals, their articles are automatically becoming more insightful. Confusing the "學術名詞" they use to how insightful they actually are.
You wrote, "言詞似乎精警", I think you are giving them more credit than they ever deserve. I don't think it is even "似乎", those "言詞" are probably not "精警" at all. :)
Ha ha, "實在有如小學時應付常識科老師的專題剪貼習作。" You are probably right on this.
I want to thank you for writing this article and bringing back some fond memories of my time as the editorial director of my school's Chinese student newspaper. We distribute about 6,000 copies per issue in Toronto. Our first issue was published in August of 1989 and the issue title was 自由何價 -- 中國民主運動
Our full page cartoon 某年某月某日 still brings tears to my eyes.
李慧軒 女士, your time may be different. But I bet there are things you and your colleagues can write or draw that some day, may be 20 years down the road, may still bring tears to your eyes. If not, you need to ask yourself are you digging deep enough or writing about important topics?
Please understand it gives me no, absolutely no, pleasure in writing the following. I truly write it with a heavy heart but it has to be said. I truly wished I have much more time (hours) to fine tune the following words so they may come out nicer, more diplomatic and more tactful.
Here it comes. Many apologies in advance.
I want to shame your colleagues at the 學生報 to reflect and do a much much better job. You see, spitting out "行貨" full of shinny "學術名詞" is a total waste of your time at the newspaper. They might as well quit the newspaper and do something else. Watching movies, reading books, or shopping are some good suggestions in how to spend their time.
Believe it or not, Hong Kong's future are in your hands, the youth of Hong Kong. The time to develop and build a clear mind with a social consciousness is now, when you are in the University, before you have to worry about paying rent or mortgage, or taking care of families, etc.
And Hong Kong are in your generation's hands. So far, this old man is NOT impressed and very disappointed with what I have read in the news and seen on TV.
OK, enough of unfair and unfounded critiques from me. I don't live in HK. How HK will turn out in the future is out of my hands.
I wish you and your colleagues well.
Your old and silly,
加燦
P.S. Re-reading my comments, I am probably unfair in many places. Feel free to correct me. I want to hear what you and your colleagues think after they read my silly and probably unfair comments.
算把吧。現代普及教育的大學﹐不過是職前培訓的工廠。要提高質素大學生好簡單﹐大幅削減大學的數目就可以了。
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