Lu Wei: The Lively Practice of the Marxist View of News in Present-Day China

Some thoughts on the baptism of the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign

The Marxist news view is the root of the identity of every Socialist news worker, the basis of their employment and the spirit of their maturation, and it is a strong intellectual weapon to guide practice in news work. At present, the “March to the grass roots, transform work styles and improve writing styles” has been broadly launched across the nationwide news front, it is the newest practice of the Marxist news view in present-day China, and has further enriched the content of the times of the Marxist news view by integrating theory and practice.

I, Deeply launching the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign is a necessary requirement for firmly establishing the Marxist news view.

At present, global circumstances, national circumstances and Party circumstances are changing profoundly, news and propaganda work is facing a series of new situations, new problems and new challenges, deeply launching the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign has a clear and real focus.

First and foremost, the Party’s news work faces a major task in strengthening the construction of its public opinion guidance capacity. Following the profound transformation of the economic system, the profound changes of social structures, and the profound adjustment of interest patterns, the independence, selectivity, variability and divergence of people’s thoughts and activities has strengthened incessantly, and social public opinion has become multi-layered, multi-category and diversified. Especially the development of the Internet and mobile telecommunications technology has resulted in the fact that networks are increasingly becoming bases for the generation of public opinion, collection and distribution centres for the dissemination of public opinion, and battlefields for public opinion conflicts. This has put even higher demands towards our ability to guide public opinion. Only if the Party’s news workers have a firmly established Marxist view of news, and incessantly resolve the problems existing in their work styles and writing styles, can they adapt to the needs of circumstances and tasks, and closely grasp the correct public opinion orientation.

Furthermore, the Party’s news work faces new tests of news competition under market economy conditions. The development of the Socialist market economy has infused vitality and vigour into the news undertaking. At the same time, fierce market competition and interest drivers have caused the emergence of problems in the news area, where in some cases, the Marxist news view has been violated, and the image of the news undertaking has been harmed. Some media one-sidedly pursue the maximization of economic interest, and tendencies towards excessive entertainmentization and commercialization have occurred; some news employees are driven by economic interest, and paid-for news, paid-for non-news, false reporting, vulgar tendencies and other such phenomena contrary to the professional spirit and professional ethics have occurred. Only if the Marxist news view is firmly established, and work styles and writing styles are incessantly rectified, is it possible to persist in putting social effect first from beginning to end, and guarantee the healthy development of the news undertaking.

Third, the Party’s news work faces pressing questions about raising the quality of its ranks. Following the vigorous development of the news undertaking, our news ranks have incessantly expanded as well, and one batch after another of young comrades have entered into the news ranks. The young generation that grew up during reform and opening up, has knowledge, has creativity and has enthusiasm, but they insufficiently understand the fine traditions of the Party’s news work and the basic national conditions, their ability to objectively and dialectically analyse social questions is insufficient, and they especially lack a practical history of going to the grass roots and going to the masses, a few news employees have a faint political consciousness, and a weakened mass view. Only if the Marxist news view is firmly established, and the construction of work styles and writing styles is firmly established, will it be possible to inherit and continue fine traditions and strengthen social responsibility, and build a line of high-quality news ranks that can make the Party feel assured and let the people feel satisfied.

Firmly establishing the Marxist news view requires strengthening education and training, and it is furthermore necessary to incessantly innovate ideas, innovate mechanisms and innovate channels, the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign is an outcome of such innovation. The practice of Beijing Municipality’s earnest launch of the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign demonstrates that the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign complies with the new demands of current circumstances and developments, it conforms to the expectations of the popular masses concerning news work, it embodies the essential demands of the Marxist news view, and is an effective channel to strengthen the ideological construction, work style and writing style construction of news ranks under new circumstances.

II, Deeply launching the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign is a vigorous practice of the Marxist news view

Theory guides practice, and at the same time, it is incessantly enriched and developed through practice. Through launching the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign, the news front has had an ideological and spiritual baptism, this further strengthened the theory of the Marxist news view, and at the same time, enriched the content of the times of the Marxist news view through incessant summary and improvement.

First, we must persist in the unity of responsibility toward the Party and responsibility towards the people. The principle of the Party spirit and the standpoint of the masses are two large bedrocks for the Marxist news view. The Socialist news undertaking is an organic component part of the Party’s undertaking, the principle of the Party spirit is the fundamental principle of news work. Our Party has serving the people with its whole heart and mind as its basic purpose, it is the loyal representative of the people’s interests, apart from the people’s interest, the Party has no private interest of its own, this has decided the unity of the news undertaking’s responsibility toward the Party and responsibility towards the people. News media must both propagate the Party’s theory, line, principles and policies, and consciously maintain a high level of unity with the Party Centre throughout; they must also reflect the interests, hopes and voices of the popular masses, and keep firmly in mind that the interest of the people is higher than everything from beginning to end, they must unify propagating the Party’s standpoints with reflecting the people’s voices, and unify persisting in the correct orientation with understanding social sentiment and the popular will.

In the process of deeply launching the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign, we have closely revolved around the principle of the Party spirit, we have demanded that all media, editors and journalists must go to the grass roots, get a grounding in the local atmosphere, and enhance their stamina, go deeply into the first line of production and construction, personally feel the magnificent achievements of reform and development, feel the huge changes in the appearance of town and country, feel the incessant rise in the popular masses’ living standards, deepen their understanding of the phase-type characteristics of our country’s economic and social development, fully understand the historical necessity of persisting in Party leadership and marching the path of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. The broad news workers are emotionally connected to the masses, are grateful to the masses, and revere the masses. they deeply understand the living situation of the common people, personally feel the full range of emotions of the masses, including lovingly getting rid of people’s fears and removing their difficulties, they have published a large batch of news works with strong insights and a strong guiding nature, they have propagated the Party’s standpoints, responded to the concerns of the masses, and served the lives of the common people, they have promoted the resolution of real problems to which the Party and government pay great attention, and against which the masses respond strongly, they have reduced their distance from the popular masses, they have fully elaborated the unity of responsibility toward the Party and responsibility toward the people. This is the most meaningful and most valuable aspect of the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign.

Second, we must persist in the fact that seeking through from facts is our ideological line and work style. Seeking truth from facts is the quintessence and spirit of the Marxist news view, and is the ideological line and work style that the Party’s news work must persist in. The value of news lies in truth, its beauty lies in truth, and its power lies in truth. In recent years, some news employees have become far removed from the grass roots and separated from the masses, they only receive through “aerials”, not through “ground writes”, they don’t go into the localities to gather news, but are content to dig up news from the network, piece together copy to make news, or rely on their imagination to make news, damaging the social prestige of the media. The “March, Transform, Improve” campaign aims to lay a foundation in practice, seek truth and deal with concrete masses through going deep into the first line of the grass roots and the masses’ lives, and firmly rejects this sort of harmful habits.

In the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign, we have put forward the general requirement that “there is a base for every company, there is a station point for every person, there is a report every day”, more than 200 urban news work units have established grass roots contact points in the entire city. The broad news workers have gone deeply into the grass roots, excavated large amounts of model cases that are rich in the flavour of life, they have grasped large amounts of stories behind events, and news behind news. At the same time, where institutional construction is concerned, we have strictly standardized the news dissemination order, have ensured that every journalist achieved that “they do not report what they have not seen with their own eyes, they do not report what they don’t have investigated on the spot, and they do not report what they haven’t examined and verified”, we firmly put an end to the phenomena of moaning without reason and working without good sources of information. Practice demonstrates that only if we persist in a work style of seeking truth from practice and from facts throughout, observe the truth, speak the truth, solve true problems and seek true affect, news work can be improved in quality and levels, only then can we effectively restrain vulgar tendencies, false news and other such chronic illnesses, and only then can we realistically bear the mission and the responsibility the Party and the people endowed us with.

Third, we must persist in forms and language that the masses like to see and hear. The truthfulness, objectivity and fairness of news must be integrated and united with accuracy, clarity and vivacity, which means that at the same time as correctly reporting facts, and propagating the standpoints, viewpoints and positions of the Party and the people with clear banners flying, we must gain the best propaganda results through lively reporting forms. News and propaganda must incessantly strengthen their likeability, attractiveness and infectiousness, to let the masses love to read, hear or see it, and let reporting enter into ears, brains and hearts. Eight-legged writing that is repulsive in appearance, with insipid language, officialise articles that could have been written by a thousand people and that lack any vitality cannot let the Party’s policies march into the bottom of the masses’ hearts.

In the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign, Beijing’s municipal media have made “improving work styles” into a basic requirement, they have organized the broad editors and journalists to sincerely make friends with the masses, and chat about household normalities with them, they have learnt to use the language of the masses, and use the angle of the common people to observe problems, and use methods that the masses love to accept to elucidate viewpoints. Since the campaign has been launched, a large batch of news reports “like dewdrops” and “full of fervour” have emerged, the amount of hackneyed clichés has gone down, and vivid and refreshing styles have increased; there have been fewer “monumental works” and more short, pithy and terse pieces; fewer pieces give an earful of advice, more articles have tireless heart-to-heart talks; there are fewer superficial and shallow pieces, and more profound analyses. The masses have universally responded that such reporting can be listened to, can be believed, and can be persuasive. Practice demonstrates that only by getting a local grounding, can there be stamina, and a long spiritual influence, only when going deeply into reality is it possible to become rich in the taste of life, only with a foundation among the masses is it possible to produce true emotions and real feelings, and only then can news reports have the temperature of the scene, and can there be pure, fresh and unadulterated writing stile and forces that can move people’s hearts.

III, Deeply launching the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign is a strategic measure to persist in the Marxist news view

Practice fully demonstrates that the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign is a “large classroom” to resolve ideological questions, it is a “bridge to join hearts” between the Party and the masses, it is a “golden key” to forge excellent works and masterpieces, and it is a “large furnace” to hammer new news ranks into shape. We must make the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign into a long-term task and a regular work, persevere and grasp the matter without tiring, and incessantly deepen the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign.

We must strive to produce masterpieces. One crucial matter in deepening the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign is resolving the problem of “down” and “up”, ensure that a large batch of news workers go down, and a large batch of excellent works and masterpieces are brought up. We must meticulously plan themes and carefully arrange deployments, correctly grasp the concerns of Party Committees and governments, the interests of the popular masses, and the focus points of social public opinion, earnestly summarize the new experiences of scientific development, reflect the ardent practice of the grass roots, excavate moving deeds by next-door examples, and respond to the real questions that the masses are concerned about. We must concentrate superior resources, recruit crack troops and brilliant generals, deeply collect news and investigate, meticulously edit and compile, and produce even more excellent works and masterpieces that stir people’s hearts, bring people to tears and make people think. The excellent achievements of the campaign must be published in all kinds of media, to mutually generate strength, raise its fame and influence, and let excellent works sound their call, spread far, gain a foothold, and truly enter deeply into people’s hearts.

We must strive to foster talent. The “March, Transform, Improve” campaign is a “great troop training” for the news front, and is an important channel to improve the quality of news ranks. We must guide the broad news workers in firmly establishing a political consciousness and a mass viewpoint, realistically serve the Party, speak on behalf of the people, and eulogize the times; we must guide news workers in the process of grounding themselves, interviewing popular sentiment and inquiring after popular feelings, excavate depths that others have not reached, find angles that others have not imagined, incessantly strengthen their professional abilities and levels; we must guide news workers in steeling themselves through arduous practice, come to realize the true meaning of life, temper their characters and work styles, straighten their professional ideals, we must strive to foster and train a batch of famous journalists, famous editors, famous anchors and famous commentators.

We must strive for long-term mechanisms. Systems govern the roots, and govern the long term, we must incessantly perfect long-term mechanisms, promote the institutionalization, standardization and regularization of the “March, Transform, Improve” campaign. We must establish mechanisms for leading cadres to take the lead and act as examples, for members of leading ranks to regularly take the lead in going into the grass roots to gain experience, do research and compile copy; we must complete a system of grass roots contact points, to assist editors and journalists to deeply understand local situations and the sentiments of the people; we must perfect guarantee mechanisms, to provide guarantees and create conditions for editors and journalists in terms of expenses, staffing, material support an other such areas; we must strengthen incentive mechanisms, prominently broadcast reports coming from the first line at the grass roots, and shape a work orientation that holds the grass roots and original creation in high regard; we must complete and perfect assessment systems, establish supervision and punishment mechanisms, give preference to the first line of the grass roots in areas such as professional assessment, achievement evaluation, criticism and awards, etc., and must let resource allocation and talent use reflect the assessment results.

We must strive to summarize experiences. The “March, Transform, Improve” campaign is an effective carrier to practice the Marxist news view, and is even more a fantastic opportunity to explore the laws of news work and promote news theory innovation. We absolutely must timely summarize the new ways of thinking, new methods and news experiences from all work units, transform everyone’s harvest into wisdom and common experiences for the entire front, further enrich the Party’s news work theory, and further enrich the content of the times of the Marxist news view.

(The author is a member of the CCP Beijing Municipal Party Standing Committee and Director of its Propaganda Department and Vice-Mayor of the Beijing Municipality)

鲁炜：马克思主义新闻观在当代中国的鲜活实践
—— “走转改”活动的洗礼与思考
马克思主义新闻观，是每个社会主义新闻工作者的立身之本、从业之基、成长之魂，是指导新闻工作实践的强大思想武器。当前，在全国新闻战线广泛开展的“走基层、转作风、改文风”活动，是马克思主义新闻观在当代中国的最新实践，从理论与实践的结合上进一步丰富了马克思主义新闻观的时代内涵。

一、深入开展“走转改”活动，是牢固树立马克思主义新闻观的必然要求

当前，世情国情党情深刻变化，新闻宣传工作面临一系列新情况新问题新挑战，深入开展“走转改”活动有着鲜明的现实针对性。

首先，党的新闻工作面临着加强舆论引导能力建设的重大任务。随着经济体制深刻变革、社会结构深刻变动、利益格局深刻调整，人们思想活动的独立性、选择性、多变性、差异性不断增强，社会舆论呈现多层次、多类别、多样化的特点。特别是互联网和移动通讯技术的发展，使网络日益成为舆论生成的策源地、舆论传播的集散地、舆论交锋的主阵地。这对我们的舆论引导能力提出了更高的要求。党的新闻工作者只有牢固树立马克思主义新闻观，不断解决作风、文风方面存在的问题，才能适应形势任务的需要，牢牢把握正确舆论导向。

其次，党的新闻工作面临着市场经济条件下新闻竞争的新考验。社会主义市场经济的发展，为新闻事业注入了生机和活力。同时，激烈的市场竞争和利益驱动，也使新闻领域出现了一些违背马克思主义新闻观、有损新闻事业形象的问题。有些媒体片面追求经济利益最大化，出现了过度娱乐化、商业化的倾向；一些新闻从业人员受经济利益驱使，出现了有偿新闻、有偿不闻、虚假报道、低俗之风等有悖职业精神、职业道德的现象。只有牢固树立马克思主义新闻观，不断端正作风、文风，才能始终坚持把社会效益放在首位，确保新闻事业健康发展。

第三，党的新闻工作面临着提高队伍素质的紧迫课题。随着新闻事业的蓬勃发展，我们的新闻队伍也不断壮大，一批又一批年轻同志进入新闻队伍。伴随改革开放成长起来的年轻一代，有知识、有创意、有激情，但对党的新闻工作的优良传统和基本国情了解不够，客观辩证地剖析社会问题的能力不足，特别是缺乏深入基层、深入群众的实践经历，个别新闻从业人员政治意识淡薄、群众观点淡化。只有牢固树立马克思主义新闻观，不断加强作风、文风建设，才能继承优良传统、强化社会责任，锻造出一支让党放心、让人民满意的高素质新闻队伍。

牢固树立马克思主义新闻观，需要加强教育培训，更需要不断创新理念、创新机制、创新途径，“走转改”活动就是这种创新的产物。北京市认真开展“走转改”活动的实践表明，“走转改”活动顺应了当前形势发展的新需要，契合了人民群众对新闻工作的新期待，体现了马克思主义新闻观的本质要求，是新形势下加强新闻队伍思想政治建设和作风文风建设的有效途径。

二、深入开展“走转改”活动，是践行马克思主义新闻观的鲜活实践

理论指导实践，同时又在实践中不断丰富和发展。通过深入开展“走转改”活动，新闻战线经受了思想和精神的洗礼，对马克思主义新闻观的理解进一步深化，同时在不断的总结和提高中，丰富着马克思主义新闻观的时代内涵。

一是必须坚持对党负责与对人民负责的一致性。党性原则和群众立场，是马克思主义新闻观的两大基石。社会主义新闻事业是党的事业的有机组成部分，党性原则是新闻工作的根本原则。我们党以全心全意为人民服务为根本宗旨，是人民利益最忠实的代表者，除了人民的利益，党没有自己的私利，这就决定了新闻事业对党负责与对人民负责的一致性。新闻媒体既要宣传党的理论路线方针政策，始终自觉地与党中央保持高度一致；又要反映人民群众的利益、愿望和呼声，始终牢记人民利益高于一切，把宣传党的主张与反映人民心声统一起来，把坚持正确导向与通达社情民意统一起来。

在深入开展“走转改”活动过程中，我们紧紧围绕增强党性原则，要求所有媒体和编辑记者都要走基层、接地气、增底气，深入生产建设一线，亲身感受改革发展的伟大成就，感受城乡面貌的巨大变化，感受人民群众生活水平的不断提高，加深对我国经济社会发展阶段性特征的理解，充分认识坚持党的领导、走中国特色社会主义道路的历史必然性。广大新闻工作者情系群众、感恩群众、敬畏群众，深入了解百姓的生活状况，切身感受群众的喜怒哀乐，饱含深情地排民之忧、解民之难，推出了一大批有见地、指导性强的新闻作品，宣传了党的主张，回应了群众关切，服务了百姓生活，推动了党和政府高度重视、人民群众反映强烈的现实问题的解决，拉近了同人民群众的距离，充分诠释了对党负责与对人民负责的一致性。这是“走转改”活动最有意义、最具价值的一个方面。

二是必须坚持实事求是的思想路线和工作作风。实事求是是马克思主义新闻观的精髓和灵魂,也是党的新闻工作必须坚持的思想路线和工作作风。新闻贵在真实、美在真实、力量在真实。近年来，一些新闻从业人员远离基层、脱离群众，只接“天线”、不接“地气”，不去深入实地采访，而是热衷于从网上扒新闻、拼稿件编新闻、凭想象造新闻，损害了媒体的社会声誉。“走转改”活动就是要通过深入基层一线和群众生活，扎根实践，求真务实，坚决革除这种不良习气。

在“走转改”活动中，我们提出了“家家有基地、人人有驻点、天天有报道”的总体要求，市属新闻单位在全市建立基层联系点200多个。广大新闻工作者深入基层，挖掘了大量富有生活气息的典型事例，掌握了大量事件背后的故事、新闻背后的新闻。同时，从制度建设入手，严格规范新闻传播秩序，使每名记者都做到“不是亲眼所见的不报道、不到现场采访的不报道、不经审查核实的不报道”，坚决杜绝无病呻吟、闭门造车的现象。实践表明，只有始终坚持求真务实、实事求是的工作作风，察实情、讲实话、办实事、求实效，新闻工作才能上层次、上水平，才能有效遏制低俗之风、虚假新闻等痼疾顽症，才能切实担负起党和人民赋予的使命和责任。

三是必须坚持群众喜闻乐见的形式和语言。新闻的真实、客观、公正必须同准确、鲜明、生动结合起来、统一起来，就是要在准确报道事实的同时，旗帜鲜明地宣传党和人民的立场、观点和主张，通过生动的报道形式赢得最好的宣传效果。新闻宣传必须不断增强亲和力、吸引力、感染力，让群众爱读爱听爱看，让报道入耳入脑入心。面目可憎、语言无味的八股文章，千人一面、毫无生机的官样文章，是不可能让党的政策走入群众心坎的。

在“走转改”活动中，北京市媒体把“改文风”作为一项基本要求，组织广大编辑记者真诚地和群众交朋友、拉家常，学习运用群众的语言，用百姓的视角观察问题，用群众乐于接受的方式阐述观点。活动开展以来，涌现出一大批“带露珠”、“冒热气”的新闻报道，陈词旧调少了，活泼清新多了；“鸿篇巨制”少了，短小精悍多了；耳提面命少了，娓娓谈心多了；简单肤浅少了，深刻分析多了。群众普遍反映，这样的报道听得进、听了信、听了服。实践证明，接地气才能有底气、长灵气，深入实际才能富有生活气息，扎根群众才能产生真情实感，新闻报道才会有现场的温度、清新朴实的文风和打动人心的力量。

三、深入开展“走转改”活动，是坚持马克思主义新闻观的战略举措

实践充分证明，“走转改”活动是解决思想问题的“大课堂”，是联系党和群众的“连心桥”，是打造精品力作的“金钥匙”，是锤炼新闻队伍的“大熔炉”。我们要把“走转改”活动作为一项长期性任务、经常性工作，持之以恒、常抓不懈，把“走转改”活动不断引向深入。

要在推出精品上下功夫。深化“走转改”活动，关键是要解决好“下”和“上”的问题，做到一大批新闻工作者沉下去，一大批精品力作涌上来。要精心策划选题、周密安排部署，准确把握党委政府的关切点、人民群众的关注点、社会舆论的兴奋点，认真总结科学发展的新鲜经验，反映基层一线的火热实践，挖掘身边榜样的感人事迹，回应群众关注的现实问题。要集中优势资源、选调精兵强将，深入采访调研、精心编辑制作，推出更多震撼人心、催人泪下、发人深省的精品力作。对活动的优秀成果，各类媒体要集中刊播，相互借力，提高知晓度和影响力，让优秀的作品叫得响、传得开、留得住，真正深入人心。

要在培养人才上下功夫。“走转改”活动是新闻战线的一次“大练兵”，是提升新闻队伍素质的重要途径。要引导广大新闻工作者牢固树立政治意识、群众观点，切实为党服务、为人民立言、为时代放歌；要引导新闻工作者在接地气、访民情、问民意的过程中，挖掘别人没达到的深度、找到别人没想到的角度，不断增强业务能力和水平；要引导新闻工作者在实践的艰苦磨砺中，感悟生活真谛、锤炼品质作风、端正职业理想，努力培养造就一大批名记者、名编辑、名主持人、名评论员。

要在长效机制上下功夫。制度管根本、管长远，要不断完善长效机制，推动“走转改”活动制度化、规范化、常态化。要建立领导干部示范带动机制，班子成员定期带头深入基层蹲点调研、撰写稿件；要健全基层联系点制度，帮助编辑记者深入了解市情民情；要完善保障机制，从经费、人员、物质等各方面为编辑记者提供保障、创造条件；要强化激励机制，突出刊播来自基层一线的报道，形成重视基层、重视原创的工作导向；要健全完善考评制度，建立监督责罚机制，在业务考核、业绩评价、评优评奖等方面向基层一线倾斜，把考评结果体现在资源分配上、体现在人才使用上。

要在总结经验上下功夫。“走转改”活动是实践马克思主义新闻观的有效载体，更是探索新闻工作规律、推动新闻理论创新的绝佳机会。我们一定要及时总结各单位的新思路、好做法、新经验，把个人的收获转化为全战线的共同智慧、共同经验，进一步丰富党的新闻工作理论，进一步丰富马克思主义新闻观的时代内涵。

（作者：中共北京市委常委、宣传部长，北京市副市长）