flinch at

内部文書「パナマ文書」を入手し、不透明な金融取引を暴いたドイツ大手の新聞記者２人が、初めて日本の取材に応じ、スクープの裏側を語りました。

German reporters who exposed Panama Papers talk about their scoop

MUNICH, Germany -- The two reporters at a German paper who exposed the so-called "Panama Papers" -- leaked from a Panamanian law firm and showing use of a tax haven by world leaders and companies -- recently spoke to the Japanese media for the first time about the story behind their scoop.

Bastian Obermayer, 38, and Frederik Obermaier, 32, of the major German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung helped expose to the world the documents that leaked from the law firm Mossack Fonseca in Panama.

Over one year ago, Obermayer, who had long reported on corruption cases involving tax havens, was sent an encrypted message offering the Panama data. The sender said they wanted to expose illegal activity.

Obermayer says that to protect the anonymity of his source, he cannot divulge details about the message such as whether it was sent by email or what language it was in. He says that until he saw the Panama Papers, he did not understand the true nature of Mossack Fonseca, which he had already been looking into while probing corruption scandals involving German companies.

Obermaier said he quickly realized that the Panama Papers were a very sensational find. The papers contained references to a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin and relatives of Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as people involved with drug cartels and other criminal organizations.

The information in the papers extended across many countries, and the reporters needed help gathering evidence to confirm what was written in the papers. There were also security issues, as the papers included references to people who, the reporters thought, would not flinch at having a news reporter killed. They decided to jointly investigate the case together with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160507/p2g/00m/0in/087000c

今回取り上げる表現は、”flinch at”です。『ウィズダム英和辞典』(第３版、三省堂)には、「«…に/…から» たじろぐ、ひるむ；身をすくめる(away) «at / from»」と載っていました。

Macmillan Dictionary.comには、“to make a sudden small movement because you are afraid, surprised, or in pain”と定義されており、

Pamela flinched each time he yelled at her.

という例文が示されていました。

今回の記事の中の、” would not flinch at having a news reporter killed.”の箇所は、「記者を殺すことをなんとも思わない」などと解釈できると思います。(Blue Sky)