Good journalism and Bad journalism

In 1870, Mark Twain as a humble reporter came to New York and interviewed Charles A. Dana, editor of the New York Sun. During the interview, Dana lectured the lowly newspaperman with the principles he has followed in making the Sun a success, “Never let your paper go to press without a sensation. If you have none, make one. Seize upon the prominent events of the day and clamor about them with a maniacal fury that shall compel attention. Vilify everything that is unpopular. ... Laud that which is popular--unless you fell sure that you can make it unpopular by attacking it. Libel every man that can be ruined by it. But glorify all moneyed scum and give columns of worship unto the monuments they erect in honor of themselves, for moneyed men will not put up with abuse from small newspapers.”

The interview is interrupted by a young reporter running in with a story idea, "Mr. Dana, the streets is filled with rumors that Mr. Mark Twain was dead."
   "That will be a lead in our front page."
   "Can I write the obit?" the young reporter asked.
   "No. the death of Mr. Twain is big important news. You are too young to write it,“ Dana says. ”I will write the obit myself.”

Hearing the conservation, Twain objects, “Mr. Dana, you are making big mistake. I am not dead. I am interviewing you at the moment.”

“I am not making mistake. It is your problem if you don’t want to die. The rumors spreading throughout our city shows that our readers have a desire to read a story about your death. We must write to please our readers,” Dana says.

“But don’t worry, Mr. Twain. I will now interview you myself to make it a fair story,” Dana says. “My first question: ”How many  scandals you have involved when you alive?”

If we look honestly at our media landscape today, there is continuing truth in Mark Twain critique about the press in China, particularly relevant to today media landscape of digitalization and commercialization.

The digitalization and the high commercialization of media in China have cultivated a digital journalism which can be described as a culture between commercials. With the culture, media is anything that carry commercials. News is anything attractive between commercials.

The digital journalism is characterized by scandelization, sensationalization, exaggeration, oversimplification, highly opinionated news stories, extremely one-sidedly reporting and even fabrication, which have done more harm than good to the public affairs. Today the Chinese journalists are more prey to the manipulation of commercials and the emotions of the internet audiences rather than being a faithful messenger for the public.

How could this happen? Here are some figures to answer this question: over 90% of Chinese journalists are working without a salary. They simply make a living with a press card or with a business card. In daily life, people do not know who the journalist is. A couple of years ago, when a coal mine accident happens in Shangxi, everyone becomes the journalist instantly. Hundreds of taxi drivers, cooks, barbers, farmers and jobless people would stand in a long line in front of the office of the coal mine owner collecting money with their press cards.

Being digital, China is entering a society with little social trust and rare social cohesion, particularly in time of crisis. The government, the public and the media do not trust each other. Nowadays, when people really want to speak out or giving a candid talk, the speakers would ask no recording, no camera and no journalists before he starts talking. But being digital, all recorder, cameras and journalists are hidden digitally. Today in China, the journalist could be your friend, your enemy, your student or your colleague. Sometime, when you agree to accept an interview with a media, you do not dare to read the newspapers or look at the website the next day. For fear you are being scandalized by being quoted totally out of context.

With interns and unpaid migrant journalistic laborers working for 3000 TV channels, 1000 radio stations, 2,000 newspapers, 9,500 magazines, the Chinese journalists have no choice but sensationalization, exaggeration and sometimes fictionization under the pressure of seeking high rating and circulation.

Statistics show that the Chinese are 15 times online more than Americans. The problem is that of the 400 million internet users in China. 80 percent of the adult users never went to college, 33 percent of them do not have any incomes. The digital media have to please these people’s emotion and addiction. But consequently, health, youth protection and crime are becoming the problems.

Next year will mark the 100th^h anniversary of Tsinghua  university. Ninety-nine years ago, one of the four Chinese professors who taught at Tsinghua was professor Liang Qichao who founded one of the earliest newspapers in China. Professor Liang put forward four cardinal principles of journalism: serving the interests of the vast majority of the Chinese people, producing new but correct ideas, providing rich but well-selected knowledge and reporting accurately and fast.(1、宗旨定而高。二、思想新而正。三、材料富而当。四、报事确而速。).

Good journalism, according to Liang Qichao，should be serving the people by reporting diversified, balanced and accurate stories. Good journalism strengthens the mutual understanding and trust between different peoples by reporting accurate and complete stories. Media does not have the license for inciting hatred, hostility, violence, killings and war through news and views.