Author: Cao Peixin (Professor, School of Journalism, Communication University of China).
*: Young Journalists, Issue 12, 2023.
Introduction: Do we really want to "let go of our reserve and keep up with the Internet" and turn ourselves into profiteers chasing hot spots in cyberspace? The answer is quite obvious, no, no!
Recently, in a conversation with news commentators from People's Daily Online, I spoke highly of the series of articles in the commentary column "Three Commentaries" launched by People's Daily Online. The "Three Commentaries" sharply commented on social hot issues with keen observation and sharp viewpoints, and criticized improper commercial profit-making behaviors such as "matryoshka members", "blind box marketing" and "grass planting notes" with a high sense of social responsibility, and innovatively commented from different angles with the momentum of "one question and three comments", so that the views were deepened. From the eyes of the authors of the "Three Commentaries" here, I can clearly feel their pride in being recognized. But one commentator's question made me ponder: "In today's era where everyone is immersed in short-term information fragmentation, is there still anyone who pays attention to the rational comments that we are proud of?" ”
It's a heart-wrenching question, but it's quite realistic. On the one hand, the value of the "three comments" is not limited to rational comments! Its original intention of bravely shouldering social responsibilities and protecting the public vividly embodies the ideological essence of "all for the people" in the socialist journalism and communication cause of New China; On the other hand, the serious and professional tradition** is constantly being hit by the new**, and it seems that it is losing its own audience, and the number of hits in the social ** is outnumbered, and the focus of netizens seems to have slipped to those fragmented content that is vague and has confusing values.
Most traditional** journalists have received professional journalism training, have practical skills in news reporting, and gain identity. But once they settle in the new ** platform and compete with "self-**", they seem to be tied up and unable to perform. At the same time, the new era requires professional journalists to "tell Chinese stories well", and news units are also eagerly looking forward to the "100,000+" hit, but the sparse number of clicks and the long-awaited "one-click three-in-a-row" have made professional journalists lose confidence. This is not a problem unique to us, but a common heart disease of the world's best people and the whole world: is the traditional adherence to the professionalism and ethics of journalism still meaningful?
Communication technology is advancing rapidly, the momentum of the new platform is like a rainbow, can the traditional people be reborn by improving their "all-** communication skills" and be comfortable in cyberspace? Or do we really want to "let go of our reserve and keep up with the Internet" and turn ourselves into profiteers chasing hot spots in cyberspace? The answer is quite obvious, no, no!
That being the case, we need to turn the course of our search for answers. At present, it is the time when actors with more macro guidance need to enter the market, and the makers of public policy have the responsibility to solve the current survival dilemma of traditional people through macro regulation and control, and give new survival resources and broader content production space to traditional people who adhere to professionalism and professional ethics. Only in this way can we achieve high-quality information supply, can valuable news reports and commentaries emerge in an endless stream, and can professional journalists better serve the people.
This article refers to the citation format:
Cao Peixin. Caring for the development space of professional journalists[J].Young Journalists, 2023(12): 1