I'm a journalist, and I'm an immigrant. And these two conditions define me.
我是一名记者, 我也是个移民。 这两个身份定义了我。
I was born in Mexico, but I've spent more than half my life reporting in the United States, a country which was itself created by immigrants. As a reporter and as a foreigner, I've learned that neutrality, silence and fear aren't the best options -- not in journalism, nor in life. Neutrality is often an excuse that we journalists use to hide from our true responsibility. What is that responsibility? It is to question and to challenge those in positions of power. That's what journalism is for.
我在墨西哥出生, 但是我的大半生都是 在美国做记者 美国本身是一个由 移民构成的国家。 作为一名记者, 作为一个外国人, 我学到了:保持中立、 保持沉默、 和害怕退缩都不是最佳选择—— 对新闻调查、对人生都不是。 保持中立 是我们记者经常用的借口 来躲避我们真正的责任。 我们的责任是什么? 那就是 对当权者 提出质疑和挑战。 这是新闻报道的职责所在。
That's the beauty of journalism: to question and challenge the powerful. Of course, we have the obligation to report reality as it is, not how we would like it to be. In that sense, I agree with the principle of objectivity: if a house is blue, I say that it's blue. If there are a million unemployed people, I say there are a million. But neutrality won't necessarily lead me to the truth. Even if I'm unequivocally scrupulous, and I present both sides of a news item -- the Democratic and the Republican, the liberal and the conservative, the government's and the opposition's -- in the end, I have no guarantee, nor are any of us guaranteed that we'll know what's true and what's not true. Life is much more complicated, and I believe journalism should reflect that very complexity.
这也是新闻报道美丽的地方: 质疑和挑战当权者。 当然,我们有责任在报道时 保证新闻真实性, 而不是按我们的喜好来报道。 从这个角度说,我同意 客观性原则: 如果一座房子是蓝色的,我会说它是蓝色的。 如果失业人口总数是一百万, 我会说有一百万。 但是保持中立 并不能保证我报道的都是真相。 即使我没有偏向,非常细心, 在一则新闻中报道双方观点—— 共和党和民主党, 自由主义和保守派, 执政政府和在野党—— 最后,我不敢保证, 我们任何人都无法保证 我们知道什么是真的 什么是假的。 世界太复杂了, 而我相信新闻报道应该 反应这种复杂性。
To be clear: I refuse to be a tape recorder. I didn't become a journalist to be a tape recorder. I know what you're going to say: no one uses tape recorders nowadays.
说的简单点: 我拒绝成为录音机。 我选择做记者不是 为了做录音机的。 我知道你们想说什么: 现在没人用录音机了。
(Laughter)
(笑声)
In that case, I refuse to take out my cell phone and hit the record button and point it in front of me as if I were at a concert, like a fan at a concert. That is not true journalism. Contrary to what many people think, journalists are making value judgments all the time, ethical and moral judgments. And we're always making decisions that are exceedingly personal and extraordinarily subjective.
这么说吧,我拒绝 拿出我的手机 按下录音按钮; 因为当它放在我们面前,就像是 在听演唱会现场, 我们就像是演唱会场的粉丝一样。 这不是真的新闻报道。 跟很多人理解的不一样, 新闻记者经常需要做 价值评价判断, 以及伦理和道德判断。 而我们做这些决定的时候 完全因人而异, 并且非常的具有主观性。
For example: What happens if you're called to cover a dictatorship, like Augusto Pinochet's regime in Chile or Fidel Castro's in Cuba? Are you going to report only what the general and commander want, or will you confront them? What happens if you find out that in your country or in the country next door, students are disappearing and hidden graves are appearing, or that millions of dollars are disappearing from the budget and that ex-presidents are magically now multimillionaires? Will you report only the official version? Or what happens if you're assigned to cover the presidential elections of the primary superpower, and one of the candidates makes comments that are racist, sexist and xenophobic? That happened to me. And I want to tell you what I did, but first, let me explain where I'm coming from, so you can understand my reaction.
例如: 如果你被要求去报道 一个独裁统治, 例如在智利的 Augusto Pinochet 政权, 或者在古巴的 Fidel Castro? 你会仅仅报道那些将军 和指挥者想看的, 还是说会顶撞他们? 又或者当你发现 在你的国家 或者相邻的国家, 学生莫名地失踪了 无名坟堆被发现, 又或者数百万美元的财政预算 不翼而飞 前总统神奇般的 成为亿万富翁? 你的报道会保持跟官方口径一致么? 又或者 当你被调去报道 一个超级大国的 总统选举 而有一名竞选者的言论 带有种族主义 性别歧视 并且排斥外国人? 我就遇到了。 我希望告诉你我做了什么, 但是首先,让我解释下 我的出身, 这样你们就能理解我的反应。
I grew up in Mexico City, the oldest of five brothers, and our family simply couldn't afford to pay for all of our college tuition. So I studied in the morning, and worked in the afternoon. Eventually, I got the job I had always wanted: television reporter. It was a big opportunity. But as I was working on my third story, I ended up criticizing the president, and questioning the lack of democracy in Mexico. In Mexico, from 1929 to 2000, elections were always rigged; the incumbent president would hand-pick his successor. That's not true democracy. To me it seemed like a brilliant idea to expose the president, but to my boss --
我在墨西哥城长大, 五个孩子中的老大, 我们的家庭根本无法支付 所有孩子的大学学费。 所以我早晨读书, 下午打工。 最终, 我获得了一份梦想的工作: 电视台记者。 这是个很好的机会。 但是当我报道我的 第三个新闻时, 我开始批评总统, 并且质疑在墨西哥 缺乏民主。 在墨西哥,从1929到2000, 选举都是被人为操纵的; 因为在位的总统可以 挑选继任者。 那不是真的民主。 对于我而言曝光总统是一个 非常有创意的想法。 但是我的老板——
(Laughter)
(笑声)
My boss didn't think it was such a great idea. At that time, the presidential office, Los Pinos, had issued a direct censor against the media. My boss, who, aside from being in charge of the show I worked for, was also in charge of a soccer team. I always suspected that he was more interested in goals than in the news. He censored my report. He asked me to change it, I said no, so he put another journalist on the story to write what I was supposed to say. I did not want to be a censored journalist. I don't know where I found the strength, but I wrote my letter of resignation. And so at 24 years of age -- just 24 -- I made the most difficult and most transcendental decision of my life. Not only did I resign from television, but I had also decided to leave my country.
我的老板并没有觉得 这是个好主意。 那个时候,Los Pinos 总统办公室,发起了一次 针对媒体的直接审查。 我的老板,在负责我的 新闻报道的同时, 也同时管理着一支足球队。 我一直怀疑他的侧重点 一直放在足球上 而不是新闻界。 他审查了我的报道。 他让我修改,但我拒绝了, 所以他安排了另外一名记者 来报道我原本报道的内容。 我不想成为一名 被删减报告的记者, 我不知道从哪里来的勇气。 但是我最终写了一封辞职信。 并且在24岁的年纪——才24岁哦—— 我做了一个最艰难的、也是 一生中最好的一个决定。 我不仅从电视台辞职了, 同时我也决定 离开祖国。
I sold my car, a beat-up little red Volkswagen, came up with some money and said goodbye to my family, to my friends, to my streets, to my favorite haunts -- to my tacos --
我把车买了,那是一辆破旧 的红色大众小轿车, 带了一些钱 跟我的家人告别, 告别我的朋友, 离开我的街道, 放弃我的牵挂——墨西哥玉米卷 ——
(Laughter)
(笑声)
and I bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, California. And so I became one of the 250 million immigrants that exist in the world.
我买了一张单程票 去了加州洛杉矶。 我就这样 成为了世界上2.5亿移民 中的一份子。
Ask any immigrant about the first day they arrived in their new country, and you'll find that they remember absolutely everything, like it was a movie with background music. In my case, I arrived in Los Angeles, the sun was setting, and everything I owned -- a guitar, a suitcase and some documents -- I could carry all of it with my two hands. That feeling of absolute freedom, I haven't experienced since. And I survived with what little I had. I obtained a student visa; I was studying. I ate a lot of lettuce and bread, because that's all I had. Finally, in 1984, I landed my first job as a TV reporter in the United States.
你可以问任何移民者 他们第一天到达一个新国家 发生的情景, 你会发现他们都能记得 所有的事情, 就像是自带背景音乐的电影一样。 在我的故事里,抵达洛杉矶的时候, 夕阳缓缓落下, 属于我的所有—— 一把吉他,一个行李箱,一些文档—— 我可以用我的双手 拿着我所有的这些。 那种绝对自由的感觉, 是我从来未体验到的。 靠着这一点点家当我安顿了下来。 我申请到了学生签证;我开始读书。 我啃了很多面包和生菜, 因为只吃得起这些。 最终,到了1984年, 我终于获得了在美国的 第一份工作,电视台记者。
And the first thing I noticed was that in the US, my colleagues criticized -- and mercilessly -- then president Ronald Reagan, and absolutely nothing happened; no one censored them. And I thought: I love this country.
我在美国注意到的 第一件事情, 就是我的同事 对罗纳德·里根总统 毫不留情的批评 而且什么都没发生; 没有任何审查。 于是我想: 我爱死这个国家了。
(Laughter)
(笑声)
(Applause)
(掌声)
And that's how it's been for more than 30 years: reporting with total freedom, and being treated as an equal despite being an immigrant -- until, without warning, I was assigned to cover the recent US presidential election.
而且这就是 这30年来一直的样子: 完全自由的报道, 即使是移民也会得到 完全平等的对待—— 直到,没有征兆的, 我被分配去报道最近的 美国总统大选。
On June 16, 2015, a candidate who would eventually become the president of the United States said that Mexican immigrants were criminals, drug traffickers and rapists. And I knew that he was lying. I knew he was wrong for one very simple reason: I'm a Mexican immigrant. And we're not like that. So I did what any other reporter would have done: I wrote him a letter by hand requesting an interview, and I sent it to his Tower in New York.
在2015年6月16日, 一位可能最终被当选为 美国总统的竞选者 说墨西哥移民 是罪犯, 毒品走私犯, 强奸犯。 而我知道 他在撒谎。 我知道他是错的, 理由很简单: 我就是墨西哥移民。 我们不是那样子的。 所以我做了一个调查记者 都会做的事情: 我手写了一封信 邀请他做一次采访, 我把信寄到了他在纽约的大厦。
The next day I was at work, and I suddenly began to receive hundreds of calls and texts on my cell phone, some more insulting than others. I didn't know what was happening until my friend came into my office and said, "They published your cell number online." They actually did that. Here's the letter they sent where they gave out my number. Don't bother writing it down, OK? I already changed it.
第二天 我工作的时候 突然我发现数以百计的 电话和短信消息 出现在我的手机上, 有些非常的带有攻击性。 我不知道发生了什么, 直到我的朋友 走进我的办公室告诉我, “他们在网络上公开了你的号码“ 他们真的这么干了。 这是他们发出的信 信上公开了我的号码。 别费心记下来了,OK? 我已经换号码了。
(Laughter)
(笑声)
But I learned two things. The first one is that you should never, never, ever give your cell number to Donald Trump.
但是我学到两件事。 第一个教训就是你 永远,永远,永远 不要把电话号码给特朗普。
(Laughter)
(笑声)
(Applause)
(鼓掌)
The second lesson was that I needed to stop being neutral at that point. From then on, my mission as a journalist changed. I would confront the candidate and show that he was wrong, that what he said about immigrants in the US was not true.
第二个教训是从那一刻起 我知道我不能够 继续保持中立了。 从那时起,我作为记者的 使命改变了。 我愿意跟竞选人对质 并指出他的错误—— 他对于在美国的移民的评价 是不正确的。
Let me give you some figures. Ninety-seven percent of all undocumented people in the United States are good people. Less than three percent have committed a serious crime, or "felony," as they say in English. In comparison, six percent of US citizens have committed a serious crime. The conclusion is that undocumented immigrants behave much better than US citizens.
让我列出几个数据。 目前在美国没有 合法身份的人中 97%都是好人。 不到3%的人牵涉到 严重犯罪, 也就是英语中的“重罪”。 作为对比,美国公民的 重罪犯罪率是6%。 结论是在美国没有合法身份的 人比起美国公民来 更加遵纪守法。
Based on that data, I made a plan. Eight weeks after they published my cell number, I obtained a press pass for a press conference for the candidate gaining momentum in the polls. I decided to confront him in person. But ... things didn't turn out exactly as I had planned; watch:
有了上面的数据,我有了一个计划。 在他们公开了我的电话号码的 八周之后, 我申请到一张发布会的 记者通行证 那个竞选者在这场发布会上 为自己拉选票造势。 我打算跟他当面对质 以个人名义。 但是… 后来事情的发展并没有 按计划进行。看:
[Donald Trump Press Conference Dubuque, Iowa]
(唐纳德·特朗普记者会) (爱荷华州迪比科市)
(Video) Jorge Ramos: Mr. Trump, I have a question about immigration.
(视频)JR:特朗普先生, 我有一个关于移民的问题。
Donald Trump: Who's next? Yes, please.
唐纳德·特朗普:下一个?谢谢。
JR: Your immigration plan is full of empty promises.
JR:你的移民方案 全都是空头许诺。
DT: Excuse me, you weren't called. Sit down. Sit down!
DT:抱歉,没叫你。 坐下。坐下!
JR: I'm a reporter; as an immigrant and as a US citizen, I have the right to ask a question.
JR:我是记者;我是移民者 我也是美国公民, 我有权提问。
DT: No you don't. JR: I have the right to ask --
DT:你没有。 JR:我有权提问。
DT: Go back to Univision.
DT:回你的西班牙语环球电视台吧。
JR: This is the question: You cannot deport 11 million people. You cannot build a 1900-mile wall. You cannot deny citizenship to children in this country.
JR:问题就是: 你不可能遣返110万人。 你不可能建一座1900英里的墙。 你不能否认在这个国家出生的 孩子的公民权。
DT: Sit down. JR: And with those ideas --
DT:坐下。 JR:基于这些观点——
DT: You weren't called.
DT:没让你提问。
JR: I'm a reporter and I have -- Don't touch me, sir.
JR:我是记者而且我有—— 别碰我,先生。
Guard 1: Please don't disrupt. You're being disruptive.
警卫1:请不要捣乱。 你现在在陶乱。
JR: I have the right to ask a question. G1: Yes, in order. In turn, sir.
JR:我有权提一个问题。 警卫1:对,排队,排队,先生。
Guard 2: Do you have your media credential?
警卫2:你有没有携带 你的媒体证?
JR: I have the right --
JR:我有权——
G2: Where? Let me see. JR: It's over there.
警卫2:哪里?我看看。 JR:在那里。
Man: Whoever's coming out, stay out.
男人:不管谁出来,不能进去。
G2: You've just got to wait your turn.
警卫2:你需要等着排到你。
Man: You're very rude. It's not about you.
男人:你非常粗鲁,这跟你没关系。
JR: It's not about you -- Man: Get out of my country!
JR:这跟你没关系—— 男人:滚出我的国家!
Man: It's not about you.
男人:不关你的事。
JR: I'm a US citizen, too.
JR:我也是美国公民。
Man: Well ...whatever. No, Univision. It's not about you.
男人:嗯……无所谓。 不,西班牙语环球台,不关你的事。
JR: It's not about you. It's about the United States.
JR:不是你的事, 这是美利坚合众国的事。
(Applause)
(掌声)
(Applause ends)
(掌声停止)
Whenever I see that video, the first thing I always think is that hate is contagious. If you notice, after the candidate says, "Go back to Univision" -- that's code; what he's telling me is, "Get out of here." One member of his entourage, as if he had been given permission, said, "Get out of my country," not knowing that I'm also a US citizen.
每次我看这个视频, 每次我首先想到的 就是仇恨的情绪 是传染的。 如果你留心,在竞选者说完 “回你的西班牙语环球台”——那是暗号; 他跟我说的实际上是 ”从这里滚出去。“ 他的一个随从就像是 获得了授权一样,说 “滚出我的国家,” 没有注意到我也是美国公民。
After watching this video many times, I also think that in order to break free from neutrality -- and for it to be a true break -- one has to lose their fear, and then learn how to say, "No; I'm not going to be quiet. I'm not going to sit down. And I'm not going to leave." The word "no" --
在观看这个视频很多次之后, 我也领悟到为了打破 中立性原则—— 为了真正的打破它—— 一个人必须克服自身恐惧, 学会如何说“不”; ”我不会保持沉默。“ ”我不会坐下。“ ”而且我不打算离开。“ “不”这个字——
(Applause)
(掌声)
"no" is the most powerful word that exists in any language, and it always precedes any important change in our lives. And I think there's enormous dignity and it generates a great deal of respect to be able to step back and to push back and say, "No."
“不”这个字在任何语言中 都是最有力量的词汇, 而且这是我们生命中任何 重大改变的前奏。 而且我觉得这是巨大的荣耀 它带来了崇高的尊敬 让人能够向后退一步 反抗回去并且说, “不”。
Elie Wiesel -- Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and who, unfortunately, we lost very recently -- said some very wise words: "We must take a side. Neutrality helps only the oppressor, never the victim." And he's completely right. We journalists are obligated to take sides in certain circumstances; in cases of racism, discrimination, corruption, lying to the public, dictatorships and human rights, we need to set aside neutrality and indifference.
Elie Wiesel —— 大屠杀幸存者, 诺贝尔和平奖得主 同时非常不幸地, 我们刚失去他—— 说过一段睿智的话: “我们必须站边。” “保持中立只会帮助暴君,” “对受害者无益。” 他说的千真万确。 我们记者有责任 在特定环境中站边; 在种族主义问题上, 在歧视问题上, 在贪腐问题上, 在对公众造假问题上, 独裁和人权问题, 我们必须放下中立原则 和无偏倚原则。
Spanish has a great word to describe the stance that journalists should take. The word is "contrapoder [anti-establishment]." Basically, we journalists should be on the opposite side from those in power. But if you're in bed with politicians, if you go to the baptism or wedding of the governor's son or if you want to be the president's buddy, how are you going to criticize them? When I'm assigned to interview a powerful or influential person, I always keep two things in mind: if I don't ask this difficult and uncomfortable question, no one else is going to; and that I'm never going to see this person again. So I'm not looking to make a good impression or to forge a connection. In the end, if I have to choose between being the president's friend or enemy, I always prefer to be their enemy.
西班牙语有一个很好的词 用来描述一个记者 应该有的立场。 这个词叫“contrapoder” ([anti-establishment]) 简单来说我们记者 需要站在当权者的 对立面上。 但是如果你想跟政客同流合污, 如果想去参加执政官孩子的 洗礼或是婚礼 如果你希望跟总统 成为伙伴, 你还能够去批评他们么? 每当我被分配去采访一位 很权势或影响力的人时, 我始终牢记两件事: 如果我不问出这个难以回答 并且叫人难堪的问题, 没有其他人会问; 第二件事是我永远不会 再见到这个人了。 所以我从来没有寻求 给人留下个好印象 或打造人脉关系。 最后,如果我必须在总统的 朋友还是敌人之间 进行选择, 我始终选择成为他们的敌人。
In closing: I know this is a difficult time to be an immigrant and a journalist, but now more than ever, we need journalists who are prepared, at any given moment, to set neutrality aside. Personally, I feel like I've been preparing for this moment my whole life. When they censored me when I was 24, I learned that neutrality, fear and silence often make you an accomplice in crime, abuse and injustice. And being an accomplice to power is never good journalism.
总结一下: 我知道对于一个移民和记者而言 现在是一段艰难的时光, 但是比以往任何时候, 现在我们更需要那些时刻准备着的记者, 在任何时候, 放下中立性原则,暂停保持中立。 就我个人而言,我感觉 在我整个人生中 都在准备着。 当他们在我24岁审查我的时候, 我明白保持中立,恐惧 和沉默会让你成为 犯罪、虐待行为 和不公正事件的帮凶。 成为权力的附庸 从来不是好的新闻报道。
Now, at 59 years old, I only hope to have a tiny bit of the courage and mental clarity I had at 24, and that way, never again remain quiet. Thank you very much.
现在,我已经59岁, 我跟当年只有24岁时 勇气和思维灵活度 可能没有以前那样好了, 即便如此,也绝对不会 保持沉默。 非常感谢。
(Applause)
(掌声)
Thank you.
谢谢。
(Applause)
(掌声)