莱文森调查:元新闻话语交锋与英国报业监管困境

Leveson Inquiry:the confrontation of metajournalistic discourse and the dilemm a of British press regulation

2011年11月卡梅伦政府启动的莱文森调查以来,迄今已有9年。以《英国新闻评论》杂志2011年第3期至2019年全年的文章为语料库,可以看到围绕莱文森调查话语交锋背后,元新闻话语是统一和稳定的。通过界定威胁、明晰边界、范式修复的话语策略,莱文森的支持者和反对者共同表达了反对法定监管的态度,重申了媒体自治的元新闻话语。莱文森方案以失败告终,但监管问题就此搁置。报业对任何形式监管的激烈反抗、政客对媒体的政治怯懦以及自由主义元新闻话语在社会范围内的霸权地位,让英国面临既无法有效自律,又很难让监管更进一步的困局。

It has been nine years since Leveson Inquiry was launched by Cameron government in November 2011.Based on the articles of BJR from the third issue of 2011 to the forth issue of 2019, we can see that metajournalistic discourse behind confrontation is actually unified and stable. Through the discourse strategy of defining threats, clarifying boundaries and repairing paradigms, Leveson’s supporters and opponents expressed their opposition to statutory regulation and reaffirmed the metajournalisic discourse of autonomy. Leveson’s recommendation ended in failure and the newspaper industry was still in chaos, but regulatory proposal was shelved. The fierce resistance of the newspaper industry to any form of regulation, the craven fear of politicians, and the hegemony of press freedom ideology in the society, make Britain face the regulatory dilemma of not only unable to effectively self-discipline, but also difficult to push regulation one step further.