Shao Piaoping - Contribution To Journalism

Contribution To Journalism

Shao Piaoping was the pioneer of journalism at the early 20th century in China. His major contributions included:

1. reforming the style and practice of newspaper;

2. combating censorship;

3. laying out the guidelines for journalists;

1. Reforming the style and practice of newspaper

Shao observed that there were numerous problems with the newspapers at his time. The first and most prominent problem is a biased point of view caused by pressure from the authorities and limited sources. During the years 1910 to 1925 in particular, many Chinese newspapers fell under the influence of different parties. For instance, "Beijing Shi Bao" (北京時報) was controlled by Duan Qirui (段祺瑞), a powerful warlord; "Huang Bao", on the other hand, was under the control of Zhang Zongchang (張宗昌), another warlord, while "Shun Tian Shi Bao" was run by the Japanese and "Chen Bao" under the direct control of Yan Jiu Xi, yet another warlord. In view of this, Shao attempted to change the situation by stating that journalists should report truthfully and practice the discipline of verification. He put this principle into practice when working for Shenbao.

Another problem of news organizations in China, especially in the 1910s is the heavy dependence on foreign news agencies. Shao found this practice a barrier to the development of Chinese journalism because when journalists only copied the news scripts offered by foreign organizations, they failed to produce news on their own through self-exploration of the truth. Thus, in 1917, Shao requested local reporters working for Shenbao to increase the length of their texts from 200 words per article to 500. He also enlarged the coverage of news to include both local news and foreign news, domestic and foreign policies of the government as well as critiques.

2. Combating censorship

In the 1910s, when China was under the repressive rule of warlords, freedom of speech was suppressed and newspapers were under strict censorship. Shao, against all odds, insisted on reporting political and military news on Shenbao while most journalists were confined in the scope of reporting news on non-political and non-military issues. Even though the government was offended from time to time by Shao's daring practice, he managed to reveal the down-to-earth truth to the public with the help of his keen social skills and wide interpersonal network with the officials.

With Shao pointing out the fact that democratic and free journalism can be a powerful weapon against the repressive government, people were made to realize that freedom of speech and publication would not be granted by the government unless they fight for it. Journalists were also inspired and guidances on combating censorship was laid down.

3. Laying out guidelines for journalists

Summarized from the books, articles and speeches by Shao, he believed that in order to be a good journalist, one should:

1. be aware of the current affairs.

2. be able to analyze and understand the background of news.

3. emphasize the ability to judge the value of news, and the complex and changing situation.

4. have the courage to stand against any pressure from authorities (e.g. the warlords).

5. be aware of the fact that one is influential to the society and has the power to change it through the news-making.

6. stay in close touch with different social classes in order to have a comprehensive understanding of the society and the different needs of the readers.

7. have common sense.

8. keep the news comprehensive, that is to be able to choose the news of the highest value, from the most appropriate time and of the most interest to the readers.

9. be observative, analytical and imaginative.

10. be communicative and organized in news writing to ensure that the news are understandable, systematic, comprehensive and persuasive.