On March 20, 2023, Professor Guo Zhenzhi, the first female scholar in mainland China to complete her Ph.D. in Journalism Studies (Television), and a retired instructor from the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, gave a lecture to the Department of Communication in T2-101. The theme was “Chinese Media: Past, Present and the Future”, attracting more than 70 teachers and students from each major in the whole department to participate.

GUO Zhenzhi is making her presentation.

Prof. Guo first shares the knowledge of media history in China, starting from modern times, and reviewing the historical background that gave birth to the embryonic form of Chinese official media agencies; then introduces the academic views on Chinese media after the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Prof. Guo shares “indoctrination”, “party instrument” and other theories related to ideological communication, and discusses the similarities and differences between the media practice (under the leadership of the Communist Party of China), and the Western “propaganda” concept. She believes that in the Chinese context, it is appropriate to translate this English term as “Xuan Chuan”. 

Both instructors and students are accracted by Prof. Guo’s presnetation.

After the Reform and Opening-up, the media was facing commercialization and modernization: In addition to mainstream media, China’s own market media had also entered the stage of history; media conglomerations were developed with industrialization and capitalization, serving the government, business, and people. Prof. Guo agrees that the media in the 1980s and 1990s played an important role in caring about the suffering of the people, but they also faced discourse intertwining, class division and other real issues. During the same period, Western ideas were introduced into China, and China began to integrate into globalization. In the 1990s, the concept of “professional journalism” was born in Western countries. From this, Prof. Guo discussed whether China should introduce this concept, whether “objectivity” of news is needed, and pointed out that, with Western criticism, the situation of Chinese media is difficult and complex.

The audience is listening closely.

  Turning our attention to the present with the popularization of the Internet and the rise of new media: In the digital age, social media is ubiquitous, netizens’ opinions are polarized, whether society needs consensus and a public agenda, whether professional news is still applicable to the present... these are the new subjects for the media development to face.

Both instructors and students are questioning actively.

         This is also the direction for the future development of Chinese media. In a media environment where information explodes and opinions collide, can netizens reach a consensus on social media and set an agenda through public communication? Can professional journalism help public communication...Prof. Guo said that focusing on public communication may become a new choice for the development of Chinese media.

Jesse Owen Hearns-Branaman, Dean of the Department of Communication, presents Professor Guo with a UIC souvenir.

Faculty members take group photos with Prof. GUO.

Reporter | ZHOU Yujiazi

Photo | YUAN Weinan