几个月前，一个认识了近10年的美国教授来邮件问我是否可以接受美国公共广播电台的采访。我知道现在对媒体采访的规定已经比较松，就同意了。后来一个记者来过电话，问过几个问题。

      9月12日一早，从新闻里听到了美国总统签署命令，对中国出口的轮胎实施特别保障措施，在3年的时间里，征收特别关税。当时我就开玩笑说，看来那个记者要采访了。果然，周一上午，电话来了，我们在电话上谈了20-30分钟，我介绍了特别保障措施与WTO《保障措施协定》规定的保障措施的关系，我对这个问题的看法--主要是：在入世时我们只是同意单独对中国的产品实施保障措施，但《保障措施协定》规定的其他纪律必须要遵守。当被问及是否会导致中美之间贸易战的时候，我说贸易战对谁都没有好处。采访完了，我也没有在意。没想到，昨天无意间在美国公众广播网上看到了我们的那次采访。一看，气不打一处来。他们竟然把我的话掐头去尾，变成了“如果你砸了我的房子，我也砸你的房子”，而且是放在中国公众对总统命令的反应下面。在这条报道的下面，2个留言的美国人对中国的情绪可想而知。我完全无法接受这样的做法，马上给采访我的记者发了一封邮件。一早，我收到了他的邮件，对这件事做了他的解释。我想，什么时间紧，节目时间压缩，都不是歪曲别人讲话的借口。我要看他们下一步如何做。

    把电台的新闻故事、我的邮件和记者的邮件贴在下面。

     

TEXT OF STORY

Kai Ryssdal: Anytime the White House releases information at 9:15 on a Friday night, it's a pretty safe bet they'd just as soon nobody noticed. Unfortunately for the Obama administration, no such luck. The White House said Friday it's raising import duties on Chinese tires: 35 percent for the first of three years worth of higher tarrifs.

Them's fighting words in the world of international trade. And Marketplace's Scott Tong reports from Shanghai, the Chinese government was working overtime on its response this weekend.

SCOTT TONG: China calls the U.S. tariffs "grave protectionism." And in addition to challenging Washington at the WTO, it's exploring duties against American goods.

But it's not just what Beijing is saying and doing, it's the speed of the reaction. The news from Washington came late Friday night; Beijing responded Sunday.

Lester Ross is with the law firm Wilmer Hale in Beijing.

LESTER Ross: It says it was well prepared well in advance. And intended to deliver a very strong message. Because Chinese bureaucracies, like those elsewhere in the world, generally don't operate on the weekend.

In apparent retaliation, Beijing singled out the U.S. auto sector, which is highly visible. And American poultry, which is highly lucrative.

Chinese restaurants pay big money for fresh chicken feet shipped in from the States. And then there's the business of China holding a trillion dollars of American debt.

Wu Xinbo is with Fudan University in Shanghai.

Wu Xinbo: So, if you want China to cooperate on a financial front, not a good time to launch a possible trade war with China.

Wu says Beijing has to talk tough. China fears other American industries, like textile makers, could also go to Washington and ask for trade protection.

But not everyone thinks China wants an actual trade war, since exports are key to its economy.

Publicly, though, the message is vitriolic. International trade professor Zhu Lanye.

Zhu Lanye: If you break my house, I'm going to break your house.

Trade war or not, the key players will confront each other in Pittsburgh next week. President Hu Jintao meets President Obama at the G20 summit.

In Shanghai, I'm Scott Tong for Marketplace.

 

我的邮件：

Dear Mr. Tong,

I incidentally heard your story about tires. I am really surprised to hear that our
long talk about 20 to 30 minutes was cut to just one sentence "If you break my house,
I am going to break your house". I remember I said that sentence but in a totally
different context. I was saying that trade war is no good for any one.

May be this is the way media works -- to distort others' expression to fit the need of
the media. I forgot that the technology made it so easy to do it.

Everyone can have different opinion about an event. It is not surprising that some
people may really think that trade war is necessary. However this is not my opinion, but
you made it become mine.

I have to tell you my feeling after I heard the radio story.

Best,
Zhu Lanye

记者的回复：

Hi Prof. Zhu,

Thanks for your feedback, your thoughts certainly merit a response. Essentially this is an apology. We get rewarded when we do things well, should take responsibility when we don't.

You recall the conversation correctly. What made it into the final version was an unfortunate casualty of editing process - when at the last minute the folks in Los Angeles took a 2:00 piece and cut it down to 1:30.

For what it's worth, the earlier script said:

"Trade professor Zhu Lanye of the East China University of Politics and Law describes the climate.

Act Zhu Lanye :06
This is like if you break my house, I'm going to break your house. So then everyone is living in the cold winter."

In other words I sought to use your voice describing the atmosphere, distancing you from the friction. The final version didn't reflect as such. In fact, in the past part of the script I tried to hedge the trade war fears, as several sources indicated they could be overblown.

As for taking a 20-minute conversation and using a bare snippet, yes that's the unfortunate nature of our work here.

For the record, I'll pursue a clarification/correction for our website - indicating our story may have misled listeners regarding your opinion. I'll keep you posted.

best,

Scott

 

       我的原话：“这就像是如果你砸了我的房子，我也砸你的房子，大家就都住在冬天里了”  。显然是不同意贸易战的。被他们一改，变成了我们要打到底了。真是荒唐！

 

      不要以为西方的媒体就都客观、公正，也有不讲职业道德的。我想我也得了一个教训。