Social Sciences in China, 2021

Vol. 42, No. 2, 2021

The Constructive Role of the Press in China: A Historical Perspective

(Abstract)

Cai Wen

By examining the history of the Chinese journalism and typical cases in this field since reform and opening up, this paper analyzes from a historical perspective how the Chinese press has played a constructive role, and how it has changed in parallel with media evolution and technological progress. The “constructiveness” of the Chinese press is manifested as follows: directly participating in public governance through collaboration with the government; supervising public power by starting from and aiming at finding solutions to problems; actively intervening in and helping address issues about people’s livelihood with well-planned news reports and relevant activities; mobilizing and organizing the public with constantly updated strategies and methods; and establishing think tanks to extend its services to society. Faced with both societal and industry crises, the Chinese press needs to explore new means to give full play to its constructive role.

Keywords: constructiveness, journalism, constructive journalism, approach