双重遗产:托马斯·杰斐逊的新闻思想

Double Legacies:Thomas Jefferson's Thoughts of the Press

托马斯·杰斐逊有“新闻自由之父”的美誉 ,但通过对其文件与书信的研究当能发现 :他的新闻思想中存在着三重矛盾 ,即 :绝对自由与相对自由的矛盾 ;反映舆论与操纵舆论的矛盾 ;宽容诽谤与惩治诽谤的矛盾。这不仅是他个人的矛盾、时代的矛盾 ,也是自由主义本身的矛盾。矛盾的思想使他留给后世一个双重的思想遗产 。

Thomas Jefferson, father of press freedm, was revealed much complicated through the studies on his papers and letters. There are triple contradictions in his thoughts: having positive freedom vs. negative freedom, reflecting the public opinion vs. controling the public opinion, tolerating the libel vs. punishing the libel. And these are not only the contradictions of his own, but also the contradictions of his times, as well as the contradictions of the liberalism. However, Jefferson left a double legacy of his profound thoughts.