新闻背景:7月29日,中国福建泉州,市总工会8楼会议室,沃尔玛在全球不建工会的历史在这里宣告终结。
以上是本报8月2日7版相关报道的开场白,全文题为《沃尔玛全球首个工会:为什么是泉州?》。
7月31日,美国报纸报道了同一条新闻。
亚洲华尔街日报:CorporateNews:EmployeesestablishthefirsttradeunionatWal-MartinChina.从标题来看,这个“第一”可能是在中国沃尔玛,而不是全球。且看正文:
BEIJING-AgroupofWal-MartStoresInc.employeesestablishedthecompany'sfirsttradeunioninChina,adeparturefortheworld'slargestretailerthatcouldaiditsgrowthintheworld'sfastest-growingmajormarket.
中间提到沃尔玛对待工会的态度,包括指出它在一些国家拥有的店铺其实是有工会的,只不过至少在它的老家美国,其所有店铺仍然拒绝出现工会。
Wal-Marthaslongresistedtheinvolvementofunionsorotherthirdpartieswithitsworkforce.IthasinheritedsomeunionizedstoresthroughacquisitionsithasmadeincountriessuchasBrazilandJapan,buthasnounionizedstoresinU.S.
同时援引中华全国总工会的官方说法,解释“工会”的作用在中国和西方是有区别的。当然,记者没有忘记提出沃尔玛为什么会在中国有所让步的问题,指出,分析员认为原因在于这个市场对沃尔玛实在太重要。
TheACFTUdoesn'tresembleWestern-styletradeunions,whichfocusonworkers'rightsandcollectivebargaining.Instead,sayACFTUofficials,itfocusesonpromotinggoodrelationsbetweenemployersandemployees.SomeanalystsconsidertheACFTUatoolthathelpsChina'sauthoritiescontrolworkersandpreventthespreadofindependentunions.Still,analystssaidthatWal-Mart'sapparentdecisiontoallowtheACFTU-backedunioninitsQuanzhouoperationreflectsthecountry'simportanceforthecompany'scontinuedgrowthoverseas.ChiefExecutiveLeeScotthassaidChinaistheonlycountrywhereWal-Mart,ofBentonville,Arkansas,canfeasiblyduplicatethesizeandsuccessithashadintheU.S.
之后提到中华全国总工会的努力,结果,不可避免地,列出一些同样具有符号意义的美国公司的名字:
Since2004,theACFTUhasbeenpushinghardtoestablishmoreunionsinforeignfirmsinChina.Ithashadsomesuccess-unionshavebeenformedatMcDonald'sCorp.,MotorolaInc.andCarrefourSA,Wal-Mart'sbiggestrivalinChina.
纽约时报:OfficialUnionSetUpinChinaAtWal-Mart.非常简短的标题,正文这样开始,
BEIJING,July30-WorkersatWal-MartStoreshaveformedtheirfirsttradeunioninChina,afterdemandsfromthegovernmentthatthecompanyalloworganizedlaborinitsstores,accordingtoreportsintheofficialnewsmediaovertheweekend.
Wal-Mart,theworld'slargestretailer,haslongsoughttobarunionsfromitsstores,particularlyintheUnitedStates.Butthegovernment-controlledAll-ChinaFederationofTradeUnionshascampaignedtosetupbranchesinChina,whereWal-Martemploys30,000peopleat60outlets.
接下来再看这个题目在其姊妹报的版本,署名是同一个记者。
国际先驱论坛报:UnionformsatWal-MartChinaWorkergroup,firstincountryatretailer,givesBeijingsway.这个标题很长,却也说出了这个“第一”是在中国。正文第一段跟纽约时报非常接近,开始出现区别是在第二段:
Wal-Marthaslongbattledtobarunionsfromitsstores,intheUnitedStatesinparticular,butthegovernment-controlledAll-ChinaFederationofTradeUnions,orACFTU,hasbeencampaigningaggressivelytosetupbranchesinthecompany's60outletsinChina.SeniorChineseofficialsandthestate-controlledmediahaveaccusedWal-Martofobstructingeffortstounionizeitsworkforce.Thecompanyhasmorethan30,000employeesinChina.ThepressureontheU.S.retailerispartofaconcerteddrivetoestablishbranchesoftheofficialunioninallforeign-fundedcompaniesinChina.
也许两段文字还不够,必须通过大量的仔细的对比阅读,才能逐步了解两份报纸到底有没有分担角色的任务,如果有,又是什么角色。