李普曼的新闻学遗产:重访《舆论》(1922-2022)

Lippmann's Legacy in Journalism: Public Opinion Revisited(1922-2022)

一战后不久,美国新闻评论家李普曼在《舆论》中再次探讨了新闻学研究的“元问题”,即新闻真实问题。本文以重访的视角考察了《舆论》被学界经典化的过程和意义。李普曼本人并非是“以学术为志业”的学者,《舆论》也并非一本诞生于大学院墙内的学术专著,但却被新闻传播学奉为经典。因此,挖掘这一经典化过程将为探讨新闻学研究的建制与划界提供线索性价值。《舆论》中关于新闻真实之于政治民主的讨论,具有“谜题”性质,帮助勾勒现代新闻研究的核心关切。数字新闻时代,描摹新闻业的探照灯隐喻已然发生变化,新闻业所能发挥的民主功能亦值得期待。

First published after WWI, Walter Lippmann's Public Opinion proposed the “meta-question”of the truth within journalism studies. By the approach of revisiting, this article elaborates on how Public Opinion has been established as an indisputable classic in modern journalism studies. Lippmann was not a typical scholar, nor was Public Opinion a book written on campus. Therefore, revisiting this special classic will offer valuable clues for understanding how journalism studies' boundaries were drawn. Public Opinion saves puzzles between truth in journalism and democracy, outlining the core concerns of modern journalism research. In this digital age, it is time to switch the searchlight metaphor of journalism. And the democratic role that journalism will play is worthwhile to expect.