How to Be a Journalist

Author: Tu Zhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: "News comes from the soles of your feet." What are the soles of your feet? Mud and soil. What is soil? It is the root of the vitality of all trees and the source of the fragrance of all flowers. Countless trees and grasses, lush and shady, in dazzling colors—without mud and soil, how could they exist? Nutrients are in the soil. If a reporter doesn’t "go deep," their news works lack "vitality" and "charm." If a reporter doesn’t delve into the grassroots, they won’t know the needs, desires, joys, sorrows, and emotions of the masses—how can they write heart-stirring works? Discovering news requires diligence, practice, sharpness, and wisdom. Rich real-life experiences, like mountains, rivers, and seas, hold treasures; those who are not good at discovery often return from a "mountain of treasures" with empty hands. Unfamiliar places are not places where no news occurs. Wang Anshi’s "Record of a Journey to Mount Bao" states: "If a place is close and easy to reach, many will visit; if it is dangerous and far, few will arrive. Yet the extraordinary and magnificent sights of the world are often found in the dangerous and remote places, where few people go." Places that ordinary people don’t visit are waiting for those who recognize their treasures. For journalists, "places where few people go" often hold "extraordinary sights." The study of news is a practical study. Once a news piece is published, it not only fulfills its reporting function but also becomes material and an object of news research. This is another reason why high-quality news works attract special attention. Journalists with a sense of mission should pour their passion into their works, striving to make every piece reach a certain level of intellectual and writing excellence. This book mainly introduces journalists’ insights, reporting and writing techniques, and answers to frequently asked questions.