The study of law has been recognized for centuries as a basic intellectual discipline in European universities. However, only in recent years has it become a feature of undergraduate programs in Canadian universities. (1)Traditionally, legal learning has been viewed in such institutions as the special preserve of lawyers, rather than a necessary part of the intellectual equipment of an educated person. Happily, the older and more continental view of legal education is establishing itself in a number of Canadian universities and some have even begun to offer undergraduate degrees in law.

　　几个世纪以来，欧洲的各所大学一直认为法学是一门基本知识学科。然而，只是在最近几年，法学才成为加拿大大学本科专业的一个特色。(1)传统上，这些院校一直把学习法律看作是律师专有的特权，而不是每一个受过教育的人必备的知识才能。　　可喜的是，加拿大的许多大学正在树立更传统、更具欧洲大陆特色的法律教育观点，有些大学甚至已经开始授予法学学士学位。

　　If the study of law is beginning to establish itself as part and parcel of a general education, its aims and methods should appeal directly to journalism educators. Law is a discipline which encourages responsible judgment. On the one hand, it provides opportunities to analyze such ideas as justice, democracy and freedom. (2) On the other, it links these concepts to everyday realities in a manner which is parallel to the links journalists forge on a daily basis as they cover and comment on the news. For example, notions of evidence and fact, of basic rights and public interest are at work in the process of journalistic judgment and production just as in courts of law. Sharpening judgment by absorbing and reflecting on law is a desirable component of a journalist's intellectual preparation for his or her career.

　　如果法学正在开始成为普通教育的重要组成部分的话，那么它的目标和方法应该会立刻吸引新闻学教育者。法律是一门鼓励进行责任判断的学科。一方面，它为分析像正义、民主和自由这样的概念提供机会。(2)另一方面，法律以一种方式把这些观念同日常实际联系起来――这种联系类似于新闻记者在报道以及评论新闻时根据日常规则所形成的联系方式。比如，有关证据和事实、基本权利和公共利益这样的概念在新闻判断和新闻编写过程中就如同在法庭上一样发挥作用。通过研读并思考法律来提高判断能力是一名新闻记者为其事业应该做的一项知识准备。

　　(3) But the idea that the journalist must understand the law more profoundly than an ordinary citizen rests on an understanding of the established conventions and special responsibilities of the new media. Politics or, more broadly, the functioning of the state, is a major subject for journalists. The better informed they are about the way the state works, the better their reporting will be. (4) In fact, it is difficult to see how journalists who do not have a clear grasp of the basic features of the Canadian Constitution can do a competent job on political stories.

　　(3)但是“新闻记者必须比普通公民更深刻地理解法律"这种观点取决于对新闻媒体的既定习俗和特殊责任的了解。政治，或者广义上说，国家的职能，是新闻记者报道的一个主要方面。他们对国家的机制了解得越多，他们的报道就越优秀。(4)事实上，要想明白那些没有清晰领会加拿大宪法的基本特征的新闻记者如何能够胜任政治新闻报道工作非常困难。

　　Furthermore, the legal system and the events which occur within it are primary subjects for journalists. While the quality of legal journalism varies greatly, there is an undue reliance amongst many journalists on interpretations supplied to them by lawyers. (5) While comment and reaction from lawyers may enhance stories, it is preferable for journalists to rely on their own notions of significance and make their own judgments. These can only come from a well-grounded understanding of the legal system.

　　此外，法律体系及其中发生的事件是新闻记者报道的主题。虽然法律报道的质量各不相同，但是许多新闻记者都过分依赖律师提供给他们的诠释。(5)虽然律师提供的评论和反馈可能丰富报道的内容，但是新闻记者依赖自己的价值观自己做出判断则更加难能可贵。这些判断只能来自于对法律体系的充分理解。

　　资料来源：唐静BLOG――译路同行