Foreign Affairs

Weight of the world on our shoulders

By Wang Ximin (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-06-01 08:24

BYLINE  WANG XIMIN

China Daily in its early days gave world events much wider coverage than many other Chinese newspapers, as its target readers were mainly foreigners in this country where few foreign publications were available.

In those days, the newspaper usually had at least two world stories on the front page. Subeditors and chiefs of the world desk had an international perspective.

Almost all the foreign journalists employed by the paper worked on the world desk. Their opinions were highly valued, even though we had our own editorial policy.

Because of different culture, tradition and customs, it was understandable these newcomers misunderstood many things. There were often heated arguments about what stories to use and how to use them. But when the final decision was made, everything would return to normal, with the tension of a moment ago passing away just like a gust of wind.

Chinese and foreign journalists at the paper established amicable relationships through frequent contact at work and mutual understanding.

The newspaper's world news pages were well received by readers at home and abroad for their wide, rich and timely coverage.

In those early days, most world news stories came without anything relating to China. But with China's development and the ever-rising interest of foreign readers in Chinese affairs, the newspaper realized many of these stories should have local elements or perspectives.

In a sense, China's reaction to certain world events became news itself. This could help readers better understand the overall picture, or consequences, of these events. So the editors would try their best to have comments from the Chinese side, even if they were just a few words or phrases. This is now common practice.

China Daily also advocates a world with different voices. World news reports on developing countries are mostly negative. China Daily, as one of the major newspapers in China, which is also a developing country, should play its role to enable voices from other developing countries to be heard. For the past 30 years, news from developing countries has occupied a certain proportion in our world news coverage. The paper once even had special columns or pages for those countries.

News that better reflects both the political and economic achievements of developing countries are run, so their voices are heard worldwide.

From the early days, whenever something important is happening in other parts of the world, the newspaper would try not to use source stories from only one wire service.

Instead we would search all available services for information about the event to enable the story to show the full picture.

It was also common then to use background information, which in some cases had larger coverage than the event itself.

China Daily now has the financial and personnel resources to send reporters abroad to cover stories. And its world news coverage will continue to undergo tremendous changes to meet the rising demand of readers, both at home and abroad.

Wang Ximin is deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily.

(China Daily 06/01/2011 page44)