Day0098 ｜Crinkly Pages, Twisted Stories, Fading Trust 【Learning English Conversation with Val】

〇 Do you think more people will buy newspapers?
They feel like museum pieces now.
　museum pieces：「博物館の展示物」＝時代遅れで、もう実生活では使われないものの比喩。
Crinkly, coffee stained history you can actually touch.
　Crinkly 〔皮膚・紙・生地などが〕しわの多い［寄った］、〔髪などが〕縮れた
But swipe left on your phone and boom.
Same story, zero ink.
I still grab one on planes, though.
Pretend I'm James Bond with secrets in my lap.
Don't you ever miss that weight.
　あの重みを、恋しく思うことはない？

● I like to read newspaper while waiting my food in fast-food restaurant / burger shops.
⇒ I like reading newspapers while waiting for my food at fast-food restaurants or burger shops.
But recently these old media distort facts,
⇒ But recently, those old media often distort the facts
for example, intending lowering the reputation of new Japanese first female prime minister.
⇒ — for example, by trying to damage the reputation of Japan’s new first female prime minister.
So younger people tend not to read newspaper or watch news on TV.
⇒ So younger people tend not to read newspapers or watch the news on TV anymore.

〇 Yeah, I get it.
Sitting there with your tray of fries, newspaper open like you're in a spy movie, and then bam,
you read some slanted headline and your burger turns bitter.
　you read some slanted headline「偏った（slanted）見出しを読む」
　slantedは「傾いた」から転じて「偏向した」「一方的な」報道を指す。
It's insulting, isn't it?
　「腹が立つよね？」
　insulting：「侮辱的」「馬鹿にされたような」
　ここでは「バカにされてる感じがする」というニュアンス。
Old media acts like they're the only ones with the truth.
But if they're just gunning for the prime minister, especially the first woman in that role, then why should anyone trust them?
　gunning for：直訳「銃で狙う」→比喩で「攻撃する」「ターゲットにする」
Smart move, letting younger people bail.
　　bail は口語で「離れる」「抜け出す」「やめる」
Honestly, I'd do the same.
　I'd do the same：「私でもそうする」＝共感＋批判の両方。
We don't need distortion.
We need voices that actually sound like us.
If newspapers want to survive, they should stop acting like judges and start acting like friends.
Just hand over the facts. No drama.

Great chat.
May I give feedback?

Nothing beats scanning a newspaper while you wait for your burger.
Quiet, familiar, like holding a piece of the world in your hands.
But lately, these relics twist stories until they're unrecognizable.
　「でも最近では、こうした“遺物”が話をねじ曲げて、もう原型がわからないほどになっている。」
　these relics：「これらの遺物」→新聞を“relics（遺物・骨董）”と呼んでいる。やや皮肉。
　twist stories：「物語（＝記事）を歪曲する」
Take the attacks on Japan's first female prime minister.
　「たとえば、日本初の女性首相への攻撃を見てみなよ。」
　Take ...：「～を例に取ってみよう」＝口語の例示構文。
　attacks on ...：「～への攻撃」
Headlines drip with sabotage, not journalism.
　「見出しから滴ってくるのは報道ではなく、妨害の意図だ。」
　Headlines drip with ...：「見出しが～で滴る」＝比喩的表現。「あふれている」「しみ出ている」。
　sabotage：「妨害、破壊工作」
　drip with sabotage は詩的・感情的表現。「悪意がにじみ出ている」。
It's no wonder young people scroll past.
Why bother with biased print when you can get raw takes on your phone?
　raw takes：「加工されていない意見」「リアルな見方」
If newspapers want to matter, they should drop the act.
　drop the act：「芝居をやめる」＝「演技（＝偽りの正義・上から目線）をやめる」
Give us straight facts and maybe even throw in a QR code to the full video.
That earned my prize money any day.
　「そんな新聞なら、いつだって私の賞金を払う価値があるよ。」
　That earned my prize money：「それなら（賞金を）払ってもいい」
　※ここで“prize money”は“subscription money（購読料）”をユーモラスに誇張した比喩。

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