Research on the Development of Chinese News Commentary

Author: Hu Wenlong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-11-01
Features: News commentary is the banner and soul of mass media such as newspapers, news agencies, radio, and television. Since the mid-1970s in the 19th century, China's news commentary has undergone nearly 130 years of evolution, innovation, and development, with a glorious revolutionary tradition, innovative experiences, and profound lessons. It urgently needs to be sorted out and summarized to trace its trajectory, explore its patterns, and promote the continuous innovation and development of news commentary. This book is the outcome of the National Philosophy and Social Sciences Fund "9th Five-Year Plan" research project "Research on the Development of Chinese News Commentary" (this project has been incorporated into the research topics of the Key Research Base of the Ministry of Education, the "Research Center for Journalism and Social Development at Renmin University of China"). It aims to study the development trajectory, innovative journey, current reform status, and future trends of news commentary in China's mass media over more than a century. The main contents include the following:
First, a study of the basic context and experience of the evolution and development of China's news commentary over more than a century, especially the basic status and lessons of news commentary development since the founding of New China;
Second, a comprehensive, systematic, and specific study of representative news commentary from newspapers and other media in various historical periods in China over more than a century, including famous commentators, famous commentary columns, and famous commentary works;
Third, a study of the current status and future trends of multi-dimensional reforms, innovations, and developments in news commentary from various news media in China in the new era. Through these explorations and studies, it strives to have positive reference significance and theoretical value for inheriting and promoting the fine traditions of news commentary, summarizing the experience and lessons of news commentary work, revealing the internal laws of news commentary, innovating the theory and practice of news commentary work in the present and future, and promoting the construction and development of socialist news culture.
Combining the teaching practice of news commentary, the research team has made preliminary achievements through years of hard work and research, compiling this book. The book is divided into four parts, totaling 26 chapters:
Part 1: "The Beginning and Rise of Chinese Newspaper and Periodical Commentary," consisting of 4 chapters;
Part 2: "News Commentary in People's Democratic Newspapers During the New Democratic Revolution Period," consisting of 8 chapters;
Part 3: "News Commentary in the Nearly 30 Years from the Founding of New China to the End of the Cultural Revolution," consisting of 7 chapters;
Part 4: "Innovation and Trends of News Commentary in China in the New Era," consisting of 7 chapters.
Considering the convenience of readers to read and understand, the writing of this book adheres to the scientific spirit and methods of seeking truth from facts, applying the past to the present, combining history and theory, carrying forward the past and embracing the future, keeping pace with the times, and integrating theory with practice. It appropriately reveals the origin knowledge, evolution, and innovative journey of various genres and formats of news commentary, as well as their practical reference significance. It strives to combine the general and the specific, focusing on elaborating, introducing, and analyzing the key periods, key media, representative commentators, typical columns, and commentary works in the historical development, and strives to reflect their practical reference significance as much as possible. In terms of writing, it strives to be profound yet accessible, concise and clear, with unified materials and viewpoints, integrated analysis and summary, and attention to the theoretical, knowledge-based, and practical nature of the content.
Regarding the news commentary of various media in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao Special Administrative Regions, they also have their own development processes and valuable experiences. Although this book has touched upon them to some extent, it is not systematic or comprehensive. We will conduct further research on this separately.