Basic Principles of Journalism

Author: Wu Gaofu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: This exploration of "Fundamental Principles of Journalism" takes news as the logical starting point and primary research subject, aiming to answer questions about the nature, characteristics, emergence, development, dissemination, and laws of news. Naturally, news cannot exist without human news communication; without news communication activities, there would be no news. Therefore, this exploration necessarily places news within the context of communication to understand it, analyzing each component of the process, highlighting the prominent contradictions and issues, and thereby uncovering its laws. It is precisely based on such thinking that the current framework has been constructed. In addition to a brief introduction as is conventional, this book contains eleven chapters.
Chapter 1 directly reveals the nature and characteristics of news, serving as a general overview. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 can be considered separate studies of the various components of the news communication process. This research is both static and dynamic. The author believes that static analysis should be combined with dynamic analysis. Chapter 6, "News Communication," builds on the previous five chapters, though it is discussed rather briefly, it largely clarifies the complete process by which facts become news and ultimately fulfill their social function—that is, generating social benefits. Naturally, the purpose is not merely to elucidate this process itself but also to understand news within the dynamic process. Adding Chapter 10, "News Sources and Flows," forms the current so-called system framework.
Chapters 7, 8, and 9 are singled out not only because the author has given them considerable thought but more importantly because these issues are directly linked to the essence of news. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss them in greater detail. Of course, major theoretical issues are not limited to these three. For example, news and public opinion, news communication and social change, and so on, are all very important.