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Lesson 45 The power of the press 资讯报道的威力 In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of thePress are rightly condemned. However, this freedom can easily be abused.Stories about people often attract far more public attention than politicalevents. Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, it is extremelydoubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves. Acting on thecontention that facts are sacred, reporters can cause untold suffering toindividuals by publishing details about their private lives. Newspapers exertsuch tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes tothe lives of ordinary people but can even overthrow a government. The story of a poor family that acquired fame and fortune overnight,dramatically illustrates the power of the press. The family lived in Aberdeen,a small town of 23, 000 inhabitants in South Dakota. As the parents had fivechildren, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty. They were expectingtheir sixth child and were faced with even more pressing economic problems. Ifthey had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed. Theywould have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived inobscurity. But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, four girls anda boy, an event which radically changed their lives. The day after the birth ofthe five children, an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing sixty reportersand photographers. | 
