News Reporting Planning and News Resource Development

Author: Cai Wen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Since the State Council Academic Degrees Committee elevated Journalism and Communication to a first-tier discipline in 1997, the discipline has made remarkable progress in China, bringing new and higher demands for teaching, research, and academic publishing. Following the launch of the "21st Century Series of Textbooks in Journalism and Communication" by the China Renmin University Press in 1999, over a dozen publishers such as Beijing Broadcasting University Press, Huaxia Publishing House, Nanjing University Press, Chinese Social Sciences Press, and Xinhua Publishing House have introduced textbooks and translations of classic works by international journalism and communication scholars. However, few monographs that represent the academic standards of the discipline and reflect the latest domestic research achievements have emerged. During the same period, China's journalism and communication education has made significant strides. The number of professional programs in journalism and communication surged from 66 in 1994 to 232 by 2001. Statistics show that nearly 50,000 students are enrolled in undergraduate and associate programs in journalism and communication across the country. Degree education in the field has also expanded. Currently, China has eight doctoral programs and 40 master's programs in journalism and communication. A group of research-oriented institutions, such as the School of Journalism at Renmin University of China and the School of Journalism at Fudan University, are rising. The journalism and communication education at Peking University and Tsinghua University, with its high starting point and multidisciplinary focus, has opened a new chapter in the vibrant development of these two century-old institutions. Beijing Broadcasting University has made remarkable strides, joining the ranks of top journalism and communication education institutions in China. The School of Journalism and Communication at Wuhan University and others, with the establishment of new doctoral programs, are showcasing their unique charm and appeal. Both academia and society eagerly anticipate these "tackets" of Chinese journalism and communication education to contribute new works and achievements to the discipline's development. Since the new century, with the rapid spread of new media as a breakthrough point, the collaboration between traditional and new media, and the growing active participation of hundreds of millions of Chinese in mass communication, China's journalism and media industry has experienced comprehensive leapfrog development. The public's use of mass media has never been more widespread, timely, and indispensable, making it impossible to escape the profound influence of omnipresent and all-the-time mass media. Mass media education targeting the entire population has become an urgent task for society, especially for those in journalism and communication education. Providing high-quality journalism and communication works to the public has become a pressing mission for the current academic community in this field. All this indicates that publishing a high-level academic series of works in journalism and communication that meets the needs of discipline development, professional education, and social education is a significant task with both academic and practical value. The launch of the "Journalism and Communication Library" is one of the fruits of scholars' collective efforts in this direction. The Library aims to bring new breakthroughs in the discipline: exploring new systems, arguing new viewpoints, finding new research methods, employing new discourses, and discovering new writing styles. In short, compared to existing journalism or communication achievements, the Library's works should offer some innovation, say new things, and radiate a sense of creativity. Innovation first lies in discarding old systems, concepts, and practices. This is necessary because theoretical innovation is the right of human and social science workers, as progress with the times is a hallmark of Marxist theory, and discarding the old and embracing the new is the only path to discipline development. Engels once pointed out that our theory is a developing one, not a set of dogmas to be memorized and mechanically repeated. A Russian writer recalled a conversation with Engels, saying that Engels hoped the Russians—not just the Russians—to avoid rigidly applying Marx and his words but to think like Marx based on their own circumstances. Only in this sense does the term "Marxist" have any meaning. China is different from foreign countries, the old China is different from the new China, and the first three decades of the new China are different from the last two decades. Under the current historical conditions, researching contemporary Chinese journalism and communication should naturally adopt methods and conclusions different from those of foreign countries, the old China, and the first three decades. Therefore, the "Journalism and Communication Library" requires its authors and works to: grasp the characteristics of the times, adapt to the demands of the times, keep pace with the times, and lead the times, with the theoretical courage and boldness of Marxism, to delve into the social transformation from a planned economy to a market economy, to explore the complex sender-receiver relationships between the party, government, media, and the audience, to research new problems, seek new methods, acquire new knowledge, discover new perspectives, and argue new conclusions. This is the purpose of the Library and our expectation of its authors. We hope that every work and every author in the Library can guide readers to the academic of journalism and communication, opening up a new academic landscape for them. Innovation inevitably comes with risks. A sense of innovation and a sense of risk are intertwined. Innovation means doing what no one has done before, saying what no one has said before, or overturning what has been done and correcting what has been said. This negation of old systems, concepts, and practices, this challenge to traditional forces and outdated doctrines, this critique of old viewpoints and discourses that have been read by countless people for years, will inevitably attract suppression and attacks from old forces. Therefore, scholars who are committed to theoretical innovation must constantly remind themselves of the need for risk awareness. Moreover, given the rapid social progress and the swift development of the news media industry, the construction of the journalism and communication discipline seems relatively slow and lagging. In such a context, the correctness and scientific validity of some new viewpoints and insights from the authors and works of the "Journalism and Communication Library" may sometimes be difficult to verify. Even if some correct new viewpoints and insights become a consensus among society and scholars, it will depend on practice and time. Therefore, while promoting a sense of innovation, authors must also possess an equally strong sense of risk awareness. We call on society and scholars to show the authors and works of the Library the utmost tolerance and support. This does not exclude but genuinely welcomes criticism of the works, as rigorous and responsible criticism is precisely a form of support for the authors and their works. Of course, the "Journalism and Communication Library" has the responsibility to require authors to provide academic achievements that reflect their deep research, thorough exploration, meticulous writing, and genuine insights. These works may either expand new areas in the academic field of journalism and communication, clarify certain old systems and concepts, offer arguments for media regulatory authorities, or present new interpretations of overseas journalism and communication works using the Chinese language and traditional culture. In summary, the Library should and must provide high-quality works in academic research on journalism and communication. The editing and publication of this Library adhere to the principle of "less but better," selecting three to five outstanding works from the research achievements of numerous scholars at Renmin University of China and its affiliated institutions each year. After three to four years, the Library can become a vast collection, standing proudly among academic research achievements in journalism and communication and even in the broader field of human and social sciences. This book is divided into two parts. Part I, "Theoretical Research," systematically discusses the connotation and characteristics of news resources, the intrinsic relationship between news communication activities and the development of news resources, as well as the essence, principles, operational techniques, difficulties, and countermeasures of news reporting planning, and the cultivation of planning-oriented news talents. The second part, "Empirical and Case Studies," investigates the current state of news resource development in Chinese media, analyzing the operational characteristics and problems of news media in news communication activities through a wealth of data and case studies. Additionally, it examines and analyzes case studies of excellent news reporting planning by several media outlets and includes some classic reporting planning designs, representative works, and interviews with the involved parties. These materials provide a balance of academic rigor and practical applicability, making them suitable for case teaching in applied journalism at journalism schools and for self-study in news reporting planning for journalists.