Journalism¹

The 21st century is the age of information; information is even more valuable than money and natural resources now. Everyday a great amount of various information pours into our lives and takes on an expression of kaleidoscope. It is so changeable and multifaceted that people can hardly to judge the credibility. Whether should we believe journalists and their reports has become a controversial problem.

Owing to the fact that the building of legal frameworks for the media in China is still in its infancy², latent principles of control,refers here to the rules of China's media control regime, particularly central and regional propaganda officials (潜规则) , still prevail. It’s hard for a journalist to give an objective and critic report. Some journalists even have the mindset of reporting good news instead of bad one or polishing the bad news less tragic³. Such as report lower numbers of dead than true toll⁴ or embellish⁵ same top officials for catering⁶ to some certain group of interest.

The internet also presents challenges to reliance of journalists bybeing a platform for alternative practices ofnews production and dissemination⁷. On internet rumors⁸ and news are like twin brothers. Even the journalists themselves are confused sometimes.

Every coin has two sides, however, journalists don’t have the hundred percent of credibility doesn’t mean they are totally incredible. A study analyzes⁹ data from probabilitysample surveys of journalists in two Chinesecities. It finds that journalists regard mainstream¹⁰ media organizations’ websites as more crediblethan those run by commercial portals. The perceivedcredibility of these two types of news websites varies withjournalists’ beliefs about journalism.

Good journalists deserves respect, because without them, this special group of people, busying themselves day and night, the public would be blind and live in a desert of information, and those who break laws and regulations would live at ease outside the watch of supervision¹¹.Journalists who are law-abiding and dare to speak the truth should have the support and protection of the government and society, otherwise we will merely be raising sycophantic谄媚奉承者 editors and salesman-reporters who are doing "business". Moreover, the way I see it, journalists must themselves abide¹³ by the principle of speaking the truth, they must become better at using their pens to punish wrongdoing and praisegoodness. I believe the old saying, "We bear justice on our shoulders/Writing works with our excellent hands" (铁肩担道义，妙手著文章) applies not only to intellectuals. Journalists especially should set their sights on these profound words of wisdom, using them to examine themselves and urge themselves on. Only in this way can journalists become a profession truly esteemed¹⁴ by the public. Only in this way can journalism gain for itself greater and greater freedom!