经济学人493:网络民族主义

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　　网络民族主义

　　Running dog eat dog

　　狗咬狗一嘴毛

　　Nationalists, united against Western media bias¹, are divided over money

　　爱国主义者联合起来反对西方媒体偏见，但是金钱将他们区分开来

　　Oct 19th 2013 | BEIJING |From the print edition

　　NATIONALIST displays attacking Western media bias have generated plenty of attention and fame on the Chinese internet for “patriotic youths” and made a media darling of one website in particular: Anti-CNN.com. But turning online patriotism² into a business has proved trickier³ and, for some of the young idealists involved, rather disillusioning⁴.

　　爱国主义者将攻击西方媒体偏见在网上展示引起了大量爱国青年的关注并且变得小有名气，其中一个网站反CNN网尤其受到关注。但是将网上的爱国主义变成一项业务运营并非易事，有一群年轻的理想主义者发起的这项业务令他们大失所望。

　　In recent weeks a bitter row at Anti-CNN.com (now known formally as April Media) has exposed a rift⁵ between the site’s founder⁶, Rao Jin, and others who joined his cause. Former staff describe a business in trouble, with disappointing web traffic and little revenue. They claim that a big investor⁷ has pulled his support and that the site has run out of cash (though it remains⁸ online). Ten employees settled pay disputes in September. A company that once boasted more than two dozen workers and thousands of square feet of office space in Beijing is, they say, down to one office worker: the accountant. Mr Rao disputes this.

　　近几周反CNN网站（官方称作四月传媒）遭遇困境，暴露了该网站的创始人饶谨与其他合伙人出现裂痕。前员工表示经营陷入困境，网络流量不理想，收入也不多。他们称一个大的投资者已经撤资，且该网站现金流已经枯竭（尽管还在线运营）。十个雇员在9月产生结算支付纠纷。曾经是在北京超过24名员工，拥有数千平方办公室的公司现在已经只有一个会计了。饶先生予以否认。

　　It is quite a comedown. Mr Rao’s first prominent scalp was CNN, an American news network, in March 2008 after ethnic⁹ riots erupted in Tibet. His website seized on what he considered bias in the coverage¹⁰ by CNN and other outlets¹¹. In February 2011 April Media posted footage of Jon Huntsman, then the American ambassador to China, at the site of a planned anti-government protest. The demonstration¹² did not materialise, but Mr Huntsman was attacked online for appearing to support it. He said he was there by coincidence.

　　这是一个悲剧。饶先生第一次突出的战利品是美国媒体CNN，2008年3月西藏爆发民族骚乱。他的网站抓住了所谓的CNN以及其他网站报道的偏见。2011年2月，四月传媒发表了时任美驻华大使洪博培出现在一起有计划的反政府抗议中的镜头。这次示威没有实现，但是洪博培先生还是在网上受到攻击。他说他只是恰巧出现在那里而已。

　　The popularity of such videos has not translated into profits. Former staff say the most advertising¹³ revenue that April Media collected in one month was 17,000 yuan ($2,800) in August. Mr Rao declined to discuss April Media’s finances in any detail but says the business is operating normally and is financially sound. He says the former employees are just disgruntled, adding: “As any start-up company, we have our share of challenges.”

　　上述视频的流行并没有变成利润。前员工说四月传媒单月最大广告收益是8月份的1万7千元（2800美元）。饶先生拒绝透露四月传媒财务细节，但是表示业务运营正常，金融状况平稳。他表示前雇员只是心怀不满，并且说：“跟其他任何创业公司一样，我们也面临很多挑战。”

　　Indeed, April Media sounds like any start-up with money to burn (reportedly an initial investment of $1.6m) and a doubtful business model. But some of the company’s early zealots question the direction their experience has taken them. Tang Jie, who posted the Huntsman video, left to start his own site. Some say he regarded Mr Rao, who had accepted invitations to events at the American embassy in Beijing, as having gone too soft on Mr Huntsman. Mr Tang did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

　　事实上，四月传媒跟其他创业公司一样在烧钱（报道称首次投资达到160万美元），并且创业模式令人质疑。但是一些该公司的早期狂热者质疑他们根据经验选择的方向是否正确。发布洪博培视频的唐杰离开该公司并且创立了自己的网站。一些人表示，他认为饶先生对洪博培太软弱，因为后者接受了美大使馆的邀请。唐先生没有回复我们的询问邮件。

　　Hu Yinan, a former editor-in-chief of April Media, says he now questions both “patriotic” and “liberal” voices on the Chinese web. “Genuine beliefs and cries for attention are radically¹⁴ different,” he says. In any case, he adds, there is no proven business model for ideologically¹⁵ guided websites, and he doubts there ever will be. “Most, if not all, traditional media outlets will at some point rely on donors¹⁶.”

　　四月传媒的前首席主编胡一南表示他现在质疑中国网上爱国和自由的声音。他说：“真正的引起注意的信念和呼声是完全不同的。”他补充道，在任何情况下，意识形态引导网站都没有一个成熟的商业模式，他甚至不相信会有。“大多数情况下，传统媒体会在某些时候依赖捐助。”

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