News Communication Fine Reading -- Feature Writing and Reportage Volume

Author: Liu Huihui, Chief Editor-in-Chief; Song Yushu, Volume Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Throughout the history of Chinese and even world journalism, any transformation or development in news communication, or the proposal and formation of any news communication concept, are closely related to the social development and historical context of the time. The proposal of the "premium news strategy" was one of the most courageous slogans put forward by the Chinese journalism community in the 1990s, and also one of the most significant and practical initiatives. Throughout the history of Chinese and even world journalism, any transformation or development in news communication, or the proposal and formation of any news communication concept, are closely related to the social development and historical context of the time. At the turn of the century, as the world stood at a crossroads and China was deepening its reform and opening-up, new phenomena, contradictions, and issues were emerging every day, innumerable in quantity. Under the conditions of a market economy, news, as a special commodity, must inevitably participate in market competition. With the maturation of the news market, it can be said that the news market has also shifted from a seller's market to a buyer's market. The market calls for high-quality news works. Any media that does not wish to remain passive must demonstrate its talent in fierce competition to secure space for survival and development. Therefore, the proposal and implementation of the premium news strategy have naturally become a matter of urgency, driven by the trend of the times, beyond human will. Audiences are the lifeblood of the media, and everything the media does is for the audience. The vast Chinese audience, who had previously been exposed to a great deal of false, grandiose, empty, and vague news reports, long for genuine and excellent news works. Thus, we can fully say that implementing the premium news strategy is a need of the times, a need of news competition, a call from the audience, and an urgent and significant issue facing Chinese journalism in the new era and new circumstances. The Party Central Committee, with a keen sense of the times, proposed the famous four sentences in the historically significant 14th Plenary Session of the 6th Central Committee and its resolution: "Arming people with scientific theory, guiding people with correct public opinion, shaping people with noble spirit, and inspiring people with excellent works." This applies not only to the entire ideological and cultural front, including journalism, but can also be seen as the clarion call for implementing the premium news strategy. The term "premium" originally refers to a commercial term meaning high-quality goods. "Premium news" refers to high-quality, high-standard news works, commonly known as good news, including good reports, good commentaries, good editorials, good layouts, good columns, good special features, good photographs, good advertising works, and good public relations cases. The famous four sentences proposed in the 14th Plenary Session of the 6th Central Committee can be fully regarded as a criterion for evaluating premium news. In light of actual news practice, the specific criteria for evaluating premium news mainly include—
Political significance. When judging whether a news work is premium, the political perspective should be the primary consideration. We must firmly regard political significance as the foremost value standard of premium news, which is also a clear distinction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie in terms of news values. Premium news must possess the ability to move people and have a significant impact to a certain extent and on a broader scale, guiding the formation of correct public opinion and helping people overcome difficulties and find guidance. This is because news work itself is inherently a politically oriented profession, as a seasoned journalist once said: "Journalists are not mere 'writers'; they should approach things with the perspective and attitude of a statesman, extracting 'treasures' that can resolve social contradictions and promote social progress." It can be said that if a news work contains weak or no political significance, it will lack strong appeal and, let alone impact and, and thus cannot be truly considered premium news. Of course, truth can sometimes become falsehood if taken to extremes. Blindly pursuing so-called political "height," arbitrarily adding or exaggerating, or obsessively high, grand, and all-encompassing standards, causing news to deviate from objective reality; or carelessly handling sensitive issues that affect social psychological stability and issues still in the exploratory stage, in a futile pursuit of a "shocking effect"—all these may become constraints on premium news and must be vigilantly avoided.
Significance. Many experts and scholars have pointed out that premium news must possess authority and persuasiveness, and I fully agree. The news figures and events involved in premium news must have distinctive and extraordinary qualities. Characters and events should avoid being commonplace, highlighting their individuality and characteristics, and striving to make them stand out from others. As the name suggests, premium news emphasizes the "excellence" of the "", which is primarily reflected in the meticulous selection of news figures and events. In recent years, Chinese news media have introduced figures like Kong Fansen, Xu Hu, Zhong Nanshan, and Yang Liwei, as well as reports on the 1998 flood relief efforts and the heroic deeds of firefighters in the Hengyang fire, all of which have had a tremendous impact and persuasiveness. Their success primarily lies in the careful selection of people and events, all of which possess significance.
Necessity to read. When discussing how news reports can win the audience, factors like readability and accessibility are often mentioned, which are indeed important guarantees of news quality and a key aspect of current news competition. However, these are only general requirements for news reports. Premium news requires far more than these factors; news professionals should elevate the pursuit of readability and accessibility to a necessity to read, meaning that once the audience encounters the news, they cannot help but read or listen. This requires news reports to reflect matters closely related to the work and lives of the people. When you report on something they care about, reflecting their desires, evoking emotional resonance and resonance, making them feel moved and compelled to read and listen.