Executive summary
InformationBasic patterns of generation and development
The basic pattern of the creation and development of journalism includes the following important elements: the increased demand for information resulting from the increased socialization of production is the fundamental driving force behind the creation and development of journalism; and the recent history of journalism is thatMarket economyThe nature and institutions of journalism are determined by the socio-economic patterns; technological advances, political democracy and the level of cultural development are important conditions for the development and production of journalism。
The creation and development of journalism are also governed by other objective laws, such as geography, historical traditions and so on, but the basic laws described above are the most important ones。
Highlights
The profound changes in the social role and coverage of newspapers
As far as the role of bourgeois newspapers is concerned, it follows the “revolutionary voice — political party tools — popularized newspapers”. The newly born printed press paper soon engulfed the vortex of class struggle, serving as an instrument of opinion by the bourgeois to overthrow the feudal regime and serving as a political revolutionary voice. After the establishment of the bourgeois rule, the party stood up and commented on each other, and the newspaper became an instrument of one party's rights and interests, a genuine “party newspaper”. Following the first industrial revolution, the party newspaper was commercialized to become a mass-oriented, news-based, popularized newspaper that actively served capitalists in pursuit of commercial profits and in defence of political rule。
In terms of coverage by bourgeois newspapers, the path is taken by “economic news — political coverage — social news — comprehensive news”. The initial printed press paper, mainly on economic journalism, provided information services to the emerging capitalist market economy; during its time as a revolutionary voice and as a tool for political parties, it was dominated by political journalism and political discourse; in the wake of the industrial revolution, capitalists sought subscribers to highly stimulating social journalism in order to make money; when the capitalist system was fully established, the mainstream newspapers covered all aspects of social life, paying attention to the relative balance of economic, political, cultural, educational, etc., and various patented special columns and sub-publikas were produced。
Unlike the path of bourgeois newspapers, once they were created, they were engaged in a political struggle to criticize the old system and generate revolutionary public opinion; then they served directly the revolutionary movement that had seized power, giving full publicity to the agenda lines and strategies of the revolutionary parties; after the triumph of the revolution, they turned to economic journalism and built new social services. That's what lenin said about serving russia, taking russia, managing and building russia. The newspapers created and operated by the chinese communist party followed a similar path。
Iii. Difficult analysis
1. The creation and development of a fundamental dynamic of journalism
The increased demand for information resulting from increased socialization of production is a fundamental driving force for the creation and development of journalism。
Some commentators have argued that the fundamental driving force behind the creation and development of journalism is social need. This is a good formulation, but it is not abstract. Any cause is driven by the needs of society, which cannot produce and survive what it does not need. What needs, if any, have contributed to the creation and development of journalism? Is it a class struggle? Apparently not. The history of civilization for thousands of years is the history of class struggle. In the world and china before the seventeenth century, class struggles could not be inexorably intense, but journalism did not adapt to class struggles in ancient times。
Some commentators have argued that the fundamental driving force behind the creation and development of journalism is the development of productivity. Of course, that is not wrong, but general. The ultimate cause of any social change can be attributed to productivity development. Productivity had been growing in the world and in china before the seventeenth century, but in a long history the cause of journalism had not been derived。
If it is to be more specific and relevant, then the fundamental driving force behind the creation and development of journalism should be to say that the increased demand for information resulting from increased socialization of production. The increase in the socialization of production is essentially an organic harmonization of the social division of labour and the integration of factors of production; the breakdown and integration of production processes must be achieved through more frequent and detailed exchanges of information. That was the essential impetus for the expansion and efficiency of public information activities。
2. The recent information industry is the product of the market economy and capitalist production methods
The market economy is a highly socialized production method that relies heavily on information communication. The market is a clearing house for materials and information. The market economy was a highly social production method, with strong reliance on information communication, which was an indispensable element of productive activity. In order to maintain and expand production, to market their own products and to acquire others, there is a need for information exchange, without which production and expansion could not be sustained and carried out. By that time, a market for news and information would have been created, and the press would have been laid。
The capitalist market economy has hatched journalism. It is the capitalist market economy that provides the necessary conditions, such as the right temperature, for the debacle of journalism. Why has not the popular newspapers of the song ming generation in china, some of which already use live print technology, hatched recent journalism? It was not china that did not have the necessary technical means at the time, but rather china's capitalist methods of production were still in their infancy and did not create the climate and environment needed for the generation of modern newspapers. Why has the news industry soared since our reform and opening up? The reason for this is the gradual establishment and soundness of the socialist market economy, which has led to an unprecedented increase in the demand for information. As the world moves into the age of the human-knowledge-based economy, information exchange is gaining ground in productive activities, providing an endless impetus for the further development of journalism。
3. Social and economic patterns determine the nature and institutions of journalism
The socio-economic pattern is the integration of the economic base with the upper structures, the main components of which are the economic and political systems of a given society. The social nature of journalism and the system of governance are determined primarily by the economic and political systems of the society in which it is located. The economic and political system of feudalism was still dominant at the time when the news was born, when the communications system was heavily feudal, and the feudal landlords were still in control of communication activities. The establishment of a capitalist system of dissemination based on the private ownership of capitalists is an inevitable option after the establishment of a capitalist economic and political system. In the same vein, the nature and institutions of socialist journalism must be compatible with the socialist economic and political system, adhere to a system of dissemination based on public ownership and adhere to the basic principles of serving the people and serving socialism。
In the course of the historical development of capitalism and socialism, changes in socio-economic patterns as a result of the development of productivity can also lead to a degree of change in the communication and management systems. After the free competition of capitalism had evolved to monopolistic competition, the press system had shifted from a liberal model to a group monopoly. China was at a critical stage in its transition from a highly concentrated planned economy to a socialist market economy, and the chinese socialist press had accordingly undertaken a series of structural and institutional reforms。
4. The degree of technological progress, political democracy and cultural development are important conditions for limiting the development and production of journalism
Technological progress was the primary factor in increasing the productivity of information. The technological advances of the twentieth century have led to the rapid development of journalism, from print to radio, to wireless broadcasting, to television news, to internet dissemination and electronic newspapers. In the new century, as the pace of scientific and technological development accelerates, the development of journalism will take place at a new pace。
Political democracy is a guarantee of the right to the creation and development of information. Without the full exercise of democratic rights, the dissemination of subjects and the acceptance of subjects, the freedom of the press cannot be liberated or developed。
The dissemination of information is a cultural phenomenon in human society. The subject of communication has a certain cultural qualities to be qualified for the noble work of disseminating cultural knowledge and spiritual civilization. The acceptance of subjects also requires a certain level of culture in order to create a strong information acceptance capacity and a news market, to participate in a certain degree of communication and to be able to effectively assess and monitor the media。
