Formation and Characteristics of the News System

China's current press system originated from the system of single-variety and graded party organs in the revolutionary base area period. After the liberation of the country, there was a short period of time (about two years) when party and non-party newspapers co-existed, as well as state-run, public-private and private newspapers, but soon the policy of the party newspapers formed during the base area period was adopted as the press system of the whole country. Private newspapers and democratic party newspapers gradually disappeared, and the press (even trade unions, youth league newspapers, and all kinds of professional newspapers) were all called the party's press, so that all kinds of presses in the country were under the control of the party organization. Under this system, the political tone of the newspapers was the same, their speeches were the same, and only the news differed according to the areas they covered.

In the early 1950s, until 1956, some journalists and people with insight had hoped that China's journalism would carry on the traditions of the revolutionary newspapers in the base areas, as well as those of the revolutionary and progressive newspapers in the state-controlled areas, and that it would not copy the Soviet Union's practices. But from 1950 to 1954, we university the Soviet Union, "the Soviet Union's today is our tomorrow", and to a large extent lost our own specialties. Of course, the superiority of this press system cannot be denied. It is able to show its unique strengths in publicizing the guidelines and policies of the Party and the State, in promoting and advancing various tasks, and in publicizing the ideas of the advanced classes to the people. However, as I said in my article "On the Freedom of the Socialist Press", under such a press system, the press tool has only a positive feedback function; it receives correct signals and enhances them, and it receives incorrect signals and only enhances them, not diminishes them. This functional characteristic has ultimately led to the news tool repeatedly contributing to the wrong line or the wrong "governor's will" since the founding of the State, adding fuel to the fire. This system of news and public opinion is not adapted to, or cannot simultaneously disseminate, two or more different or opposing views or opinions, but rather is accustomed to "turning over the cake" and engaging in a rotation of viewpoints, which has led to society as a whole being in a position of choosing between the "left" and the "right" at times. As a result, it is difficult to implement the popular "two hundred" policy put forward by our party under this system.

It seems to be fair to say that the mistakes the Party made in certain periods since the founding of the country, which were not serious at all, have been amplified by this press system, and the image of socialist democracy has been tarnished by this mode of journalism. As a result until today, the press has not gained a very favorable impression in people's minds. Two Roles - Multi-Level Newspaper Structure - Two Standards of Management

Journalism around the world follows different models, two of which are most typical, the Western liberal system represented by the United States and the centralized system represented by the Soviet Union. In the Western liberal model, it is advocated that "it is the duty of newspapers to criticize the government", emphasizing the role of bottom-up monitoring, and denying the role of newspapers as propaganda for the government (even though such a role objectively exists). In the Soviet Union, since the October Revolution and until the 27th Congress of the Soviet Union, a centralized journalism model was practiced, emphasizing the role of newspapers as propagandists, agitators, and even organizers, in a word, the role of the ruling party and the government in using newspapers to guide their work and society, and neither mentioning nor permitting newspapers to play the role of monitoring from the bottom up, with a typical feature being that the newspapers were divided into a hierarchy, with the lower newspapers not being allowed to criticize the higher party organizations and the government. party organizations and the government.

When conceptualizing a socialist press system with Chinese characteristics, the author believes that the socialist press in China should play a twofold role: a top-to-bottom role, i.e., as a propaganda tool and a mouthpiece of the party and the government to play a propaganda role and a guiding role; and a bottom-to-top role, i.e., as a tool of public opinion in society to play a role of public opinion supervision of the government, political parties and various officials.

To this end, it is necessary to establish a diversified newspaper structure centered on the Party newspaper and composed of many kinds of newspapers at various levels, which can be divided into Party and non-Party newspapers, organ and non-organ newspapers, political and non-political newspapers, national and collective ownership, and public and private. All of these newspapers are serving the people, but they are allowed to focus on each of the above two roles in carrying out their socio-political functions, leading to a variety of styles of newspapers.

There should be two standards governing this multi-layered journalism, a legal standard and a party standard. Non-Party newspapers, as long as they obey the Constitution and various laws, including the press law (as for the newspaper industry in accordance with the professional ethics of journalism self-discipline, which is a kind of self-restraint, the need for which goes without saying); Party organs in addition to compliance with the Constitution and the law, there is also the standard of party nature, that is, in addition to working in accordance with the law, but also to carry out the party's resolutions and directives. The general conception of press reform--development of socialist freedom of the press

Freedom of the press is the realization of the constitutional right to freedom of speech and of the press through the medium of the press. In other words, freedom of the press refers to the right of citizens to publish and obtain news through the media, and to enjoy and exercise the freedom of speech and publication. Such rights are protected from infringement as long as they do not violate the Constitution and the law. Given the existence of a multi-layered newspaper structure in the country, freedom of the press should have two levels of meaning. One, freedom and the law. "Freedom is the right to do all things permitted by law." Freedom of the press is the right to write and publish what the law permits. Second, freedom and discipline. For the Party's organs, freedom of the press, in addition to clarifying the relationship between freedom and law, must also clarify the relationship between freedom and discipline. That is to say, in addition to obey the Constitution and the law, but also to obey the party's discipline (including the party constitution, the party's resolution and the party organization's instructions on the work of the press).

For the long-term goal of the entire socialist press, what basic content should socialist freedom of the press contain? It is to affirm that the press should be subject to the supervision of the people and the Party, and adhere to the direction of serving the people and socialism; at the same time, it is to allow the press to have relative independence, and to enjoy freedom of non-interference within the limits permitted by law. According to these two principles, it can be determined; as long as not contrary to the facts, not contrary to the law (the party newspaper should also not violate the party's constitution) and social morality, not to the detriment of the people's interests, any news, any criticism can be published freely, the work of journalists' rights, political rights shall not be infringed upon; the enactment of the press law, the implementation of the rule of law press, so as to achieve the main focus of the pursuit of punishment, prevention and supplementation of the text of the responsibility for the responsibility of the people, and the violation of law shall be investigated; news Journalists emphasize self-discipline and consciously adhere to the consistency of being accountable to the Party and to the people; and the State rewards news organizations and journalists for their efforts to publicize national policies. (See my "On the Freedom of the Socialist Press.") The above can also be seen as a model for the goals of socialist journalism in China.

This target model is to be realized gradually through continuous efforts. Freedom of the socialist press is a process of continuous development, and it is not possible to be too fast and too hasty in demanding it, but should be constantly reformed and created, day by day.