【英语财经】《金融时报》的变与不变 A new future for the FT, without fear or favour

Throughout its 127-year history, the Financial Times has occupied a special place in journalism, enjoying a precious bond of trust with readers around the world.

The FT has thrived, and continues to thrive, in an age of global economic interdependence defined by the free movement of capital, goods and people and instant digital communication.

The FT’s reputation rests on its editorial independence, an instinctively internationalist outlook, and its base in London at the centre of the global financial marketplace, as well as the profitability which underwrites that editorial independence.

The news that Pearson has decided to relinquish the title it has held since 1957 and sell to Nikkei, the Japanese newspaper publisher, is a matter of global media interest. It is also a matter of public interest in the UK.

This may sound self-serving but FT readers have come to appreciate our commitment to independent quality journalism, however unforgiving they are if we stray from the accuracy, authority and integrity which we consider to be intrinsic to our journalism.

We welcome our new owner’s public affirmation of our independence, and we recognise Nikkei’s own proud history going back to 1876 as a serious financial news organisation.

Under Pearson’s ownership, the FT has become a leading global news organisation. We pioneered the printing of the newspaper in Frankfurt in 1979. We launched a fully-fledged US edition 20 years later, and we set up an Asia operation based in Hong Kong after the turn of the century.

Over the past decade, the pink Financial Times has been in the vanguard of the digital revolution, building a profitable subscription business among the people who make or influence decisions in business, finance and public affairs around the world.

Pearson’s support for editorial independence has been unwavering, in good times and bad. Our owners have understood that this means the right to investigate and the liberty to voice uncomfortable opinions. We report deeply on the City of London and Brussels but we are not a house organ. We adhere to the liberal market tradition of Adam Smith, but also to the robust irreverence of Smollett and Swift.

Pearson has decided that it wishes to focus on its burgeoning education business. A successful marriage has ended in an amicable parting. We salute Pearson’s support of editorial excellence and its willingness to nurture homegrown talent that helps to instil the value of collaboration in the highly competitive news business.

These qualities have served the FT handily during a period of momentous change in our industry. The exponential growth of broadband, the erosion of print, the rise of social media challenge how publishers produce and disseminate journalism.

Today, news and views are distributed in real time on multiple platforms, from the mobile phone to the tablet and desktop computer. In a crowded market place, the challenge and opportunity for the FT is to remain an authoritative purveyor of information and a financially sustainable business in a world of deep -pocketed rivals.

And the opportunity is enormous. In today’s world, English is the premier business language. All top-class companies are looking beyond their borders for growth. For the FT, with its skill in connecting the dots between business, finance and politics, the prize is especially alluring.

In the spirit of adventure and mutual trust, the FT joins the Nikkei family and looks forward to writing the next chapter in our distinguished histories.

纵观过往127年的历史，《金融时报》（FT）在新闻业占据着一个独特的位置，与全球各地的读者结成了一条珍贵的信任纽带。

FT一直在发展壮大，随着资本、商品和人员自由流动、即时数字通信发达，全球经济进入相互依存时代，《金融时报》将继续蓬勃发展。

FT的声誉源自编辑独立性、内生的国际视野，以及位于伦敦这个全球金融市场中心的总部，当然还有在保障编辑独立前提下的盈利能力。

培生集团(Pearson)决定放弃自1957年起拥有的这份报纸，将之出售给日本报纸出版商日本经济新闻社(Nikkei)，这是事关全球媒体关切的新闻，也是在英国国内关乎公共利益的事件。

这听来可能有些自我吹捧，但FT读者欣赏的是，FT对高品质品独立新闻报道的承诺和坚持，而准确、权威、正直则是FT不能偏离的新闻业务固有原则，若发生偏离，读者也不会原谅我们。

日经作为新的FT拥有者，对FT独立性的公开肯定为FT所欢迎，FT也欣赏日经作为一家严肃的金融新闻机构、可追溯至1876年的骄人历史。

在培生集团旗下，FT已发展成为一家引领行业的全球性新闻机构。1979年，我们在法拉克福发行报纸；20年后，我们在美国推出了完整版的《金融时报》；世纪之交过后，我们在香港建立了亚洲分部。

过去10年里，粉红色的《金融时报》一直是数字革命的先锋，并建立起针对用户的盈利订阅业务，这些用户或是全球商业、金融和公共事务的决策者，或是影响决策的权威人士。

无论顺境逆境，培生集团对FT编辑独立性的支持从未改变。培生明白，编辑独立性意味着我们有权进行调查，而且可以自由发表不中听的意见。我们深度报道伦敦金融城和布鲁塞尔方面的消息，但我们不是一份欧洲内刊。我们坚持亚当?斯密(Adam Smith)的自由市场传统，但同时也秉持着斯摩莱特和斯威夫特的辛辣讽刺传统。

培生集团已决定日后将重点放在其增长迅速的教育事业上。好合好散才是一段成功的婚姻。我们向培生集团致敬，为其对新闻卓越性的支持，及其积极培养本土人才的意愿，这有助于向极具竞争力的新闻业务注入合作的价值。

在新闻业发生巨大改变的时期，这两点对FT大有裨益。互联网宽带的迅猛发展、印刷业的凋零以及社交媒体的兴起给出版商制作和传播新闻带来挑战。

今天，从手机、平板电脑到台式电脑，人们可以在多种平台上实时看到各种新闻和观点。在这个拥挤的市场，FT面临的挑战也是机会——继续充当权威的信息提供者，并在面对财力雄厚的竞争对手时保持自身财务上的可持续性。

我们的机会是巨大的。当今世界，英语是第一大商业语言。所有优秀企业都在本土以外的地区寻找增长点。对于专注商业、金融和政治领域的《金融时报》来说，前景尤其引人向往。

本着冒险和互相信任的精神，FT加入了日经大家庭，我们期待在自己卓越的历史上写下新的篇章。

译者/彩云