Selected Works of Tong Bing - News Science (Observation and Reflection)

Author: Tong Bing
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-05-01
Features: This series of "Self-Selected Works of Famous Scholars in Journalism and Communication Studies" is prefaced by the esteemed academician Fang Hanqi, and no further words from the editor are needed. Here, I will briefly discuss the original intention, selection criteria, and editorial principles. In the early 1980s, shortly after the Cultural Revolution, representatives who once advocated "journalism without a discipline" retracted their ignorance. The Beijing Journalism Society and the China Journalism Education Society were established one after another. In this favorable atmosphere, the long-interrupted research on journalism and communication studies resumed. At the turn of the centuries, journalism and communication studies were elevated to a first-tier discipline. Since the new century, hundreds of books on journalism and communication studies have been published each year, and thousands of academic papers have been published. The scientific research and discipline construction of journalism and communication studies have entered a true golden age.
With the deepening of journalism and communication studies and the continuous extension of second and third-tier disciplines, a group of influential academic leaders emerged. Among them are Wang Zhong, Gan Xifen, Li Longmu, Fang Hanqi, Zhang Longdong, Ning Shufan, Ding Ganlin, and Zhao Yuming—veteran scholars in academia. They are the pioneers and trailblazers of journalism and communication studies and education in New China. Some proposed new theoretical systems, some authored numerous works, some introduced new theories of journalism and communication to the Chinese people earlier, and some promoted discipline construction through a combination of historical and theoretical research methods. Under their guidance and mentorship, a new generation has emerged. The new generation of leaders emerged in the tide of reform and opening up. Building upon the theories, knowledge, and methods of the older generation, they have made new breakthroughs and developments. The eight authors in this issue of the self-selected works are among the first representatives.
There are several reasons for editing and publishing the "Self-Selected Works of Famous Scholars in Journalism and Communication Studies." First, it examines the research achievements of the new generation of academic leaders in journalism and communication studies, showcasing the new level of discipline construction that is continuously deepening and expanding. Second, it systematically introduces the research fields and representative works of the new leaders in journalism and communication studies, promoting communication and complementarity between the discipline and other humanities and social sciences. Third, it provides a platform for young students of journalism and communication studies to understand the academic views and research methods of their mentors. Due to various reasons, there are few and scattered journals publishing academic papers on journalism and communication studies, making it difficult to read them. Publishing a collection can provide some convenience.
For the invited scholars selected for the self-selected works, there are several considerations. First, they are leading figures in a specific professional or research direction in journalism and communication studies. Second, they have a certain national influence. Third, they are full-time doctoral supervisors. Fourth, they have a relatively broad readership. Given that there are dozens of scholars nationwide who meet these criteria, and with no experience in editing such collections, we plan to start with the first issue, inviting eight renowned scholars. Since this is a self-selected work, it should fully reflect the individual styles of the authors. However, as part of a series, it should also have similarities or consistencies. After discussions among the eight authors, the following requirements have been agreed upon for the self-selected works in the series:
1. Respect the original form of the historical context; the selected articles should not be altered, except for minor technical corrections such as correcting typos.
2. Each book will include a photograph of the author, an academic profile, and an interview-style text where the author discusses their academic experiences, insights, and reflections.
3. Each book will be approximately 300,000 to 350,000 words in length.
At the end, as the editor-in-chief, I would like to represent the eight selected authors in expressing our respect to our mentors. Without their cultivation, we would not have achieved what we have today. We extend our greetings to our students, whose diligence and hard work have shown the value of our efforts. We express our gratitude to the leaders and editors of Fudan University Press. It is due to the space and opportunities they provided that we scholars were able to publish this self-selected work, allowing us to reflect on our journey. We quietly await the readers' criticism of this series. We will improve future issues of the series based on readers' feedback.
Journalism and communication studies are emerging disciplines among the many fields of humanities and social sciences. In China, the study of journalism has a history of nearly a century, and the attention and extensive research on communication have also spanned nearly three decades. Thanks to the efforts of scholars in journalism and communication studies, the discipline has transformed from being dismissed by some industry professionals as "a discipline without a discipline" to becoming a "discipline of prominence." In the national discipline catalog, it has evolved from being a secondary discipline subordinate to Chinese language and literature to becoming an independent first-tier discipline. The past two decades since the reform and opening up have been a period of rapid development for journalism and communication studies in China. Theories of journalism, the history of journalism, press law, journalistic ethics, radio and television, and public supervision have been comprehensively expanded. The study of journalistic theory has also expanded from pure party newspaper theory to general journalistic theory. The study of communication has permeated sociology, psychology, anthropology, law, and economics externally, and has been integrated with journalism internally, achieving significant development. Research on basic theories of communication, critical theory of communication, as well as the study of communication and public opinion, semiotics, and other fields have garnered attention. The study of new media and media economics has also become a hot topic. Journalism and communication studies have entered a stage of integration with other humanities and social sciences, with multi-angle academic development.
The current prosperity and development of Chinese journalism and communication studies are the result of the hard work of several generations of scholars. From the early 20th century to the present, the academic community of Chinese journalism and communication studies has passed down the torch, with each generation leading the field for several years. Among them, the outstanding figures are all renowned scholars who have contributed to the prosperity and development of Chinese journalism and communication studies. The authors included in this series of "self-selected works" are the new generation of "renowned scholars" in Chinese journalism and communication studies who emerged after the reform and opening up. Most of them come from universities or other teaching and research positions, are leading figures in a certain aspect of contemporary journalism and communication studies, and are outstanding scholars with deep expertise and a strong reputation. Compared to their predecessors, the "renowned scholars" of this generation have the following characteristics:
(1) A solid foundation in humanities theory;
(2) A reasonable and comprehensive knowledge structure;
(3) Essential knowledge of the forefront of the discipline;
(4) Active thinking, avoiding rigid adherence to tradition or self-imposed limitations;
(5) Exposure to the reform and opening up and the integration of Chinese and Western cultures, with a broad academic perspective.
They are a generation of innovators and pioneers, and they surpass their predecessors. It is a good publishing idea to have the "renowned scholars" in journalism and communication studies publish "self-selected works." First, all of them are "renowned scholars," which guarantees a certain level of quality, avoiding the confusion or misjudgment that can arise from selecting among the numerous newly published works. Second, all of them are "self-selected," meaning the selected works must be personal favorites that the authors believe are worthy of being passed down. This avoids the waste of resources or misleading of readers and students, and also significantly reduces the financial burden on readers and students. This will be highly beneficial for society, academia, and cultural development.
I congratulate the publication of this series of "Self-Selected Works of Famous Scholars in Journalism and Communication Studies" and believe it will certainly attract the attention and welcome of journalism and communication scholars and students both at home and abroad.