Paradox in Journalistic Education: Why Can not China’s Journalism Students Become Journalists

There is a paradoxical phenomenon in nowadays China that, many graduated journalism students can’t even find a job in journalism while a large amount of graduates from other education background being recruited. A possible reason may be the disproportion between vacations and journalism graduates - over 660 journalism relative school or departments in China’s universities, the number is still increasing - but apparently it can’t simply explain why press and newspaper recruits so many students with no relative education background. Reflecting is necessary: what is wrong in the education of journalism?
The requirement of a competent recruit graduate is just the aim of journalism education. Which kind of students does media industry needs? From the practical perspective, the most basic three abilities are the creative ability of writing, the ability of percipience to the social phenomena with unique perspective, and being able to forecast the trend of journalism development. To learn and comprehend these three abilities is the most significant aspects for cultivate a competent journalist.

Some argue that the journalism educated recruits mostly can “easy begin but hardly persist” One of the journalists I knew graduated from a famous journalism school started and adapted his job perfectly in the beginning, but not long time later he lost his advantage to another recruit with literature education background who couldn’t even write a piece of full-element news in the beginning. What the literature educated journalist needed was just some most basic training and knowledge, the capacity of better organize language make him outstanding.

Firstly, changes should be made to the course structure of journalism education. Up-to-date courses according to journalism practice should be systematically enhanced, to make students more creative and sensitive with the development of media industry. Secondly, pure theoretical courses should be simplified and even cut off for the aim and time limit of undergraduate education. Students need learn more from practice to obtain the ability of seeing and touching the reality with deeper and more unique angle. At the same time, the development of China’s journalism environment requires more journalists with the ability of deeply thinking and criticizing, therefore variety and depth　should be considered when choose theoretical courses.

Pupils Cry for ‘Fan Jin’

“When our teacher gave a lecture on ‘Fan Jin’, I cried, as some other pupils did…”said a pupil in one middle school in Shenyang, Liaoning Province in China. Fan Jin, a famous tragic intellectual in ancient China, won a place in his province examination in his 60s, and suddenly got mad, because he found that he couldn’t bear the late-coming fame and gain. (11th Jan Chinese Youth Newspaper)

It is a famous article in China castigating the old civil service examination system. Why does it make a 21st century pupil burst into tears? It’s really a question worth discussing.

In pupils’ opinions, they cried inconceivably because the fickleness of harsh examination system seemed to repeat in nowadays society. When they get a good mark, teachers, parents will try their best to satisfy them; if not, they can hardly have a happy life no matter at home or at school. The freaky reality makes them feel helpless. All this reflects middle school students’ embarrassing and harsh life in China.

First of all, as I mentioned in my previous entry, the examination oriented education system is absolute great pressure. Teachers are likely to evaluate pupils by their marks. The higher mark you get the more chances you can obtain in school. You will easily be teachers’ focus and liked by them. But if you are not able to get an ideal mark, some kind of discrimination and other embarrassing things will follow you. And you will find it very difficult to let your teachers get rid of the bad impression of you. So, underachievers look like Fan Jin before winning the award, under unbelievable pressure and repression.

Secondly, parents’ opinions also give their children certain influence. In China, there’s a saying that parents always hope that their children will have a bright future. A good student with high mark is always considered as a to-be somebody, while underachiever is thought to lag behind them and can not make any difference in the future. Some parents will spoil their good children who are always whiz kids at school, while what underachievers can have is tongue-lash. They easily ignore the sound development in mind and body of the children, and can not build a good relationship with them.

Last but not least, it’s society’s responsibility. For example, every year after the entrance examination in June, the Press will focus on the students who get the highest mark. Interviews of them occupy quite a lot of pages of newspaper and their teachers and parents show their happiness in front of the camera. No one cares about ordinary students and the underachievers.

‘Fan Jin’ is not a simple story. It’s a historical mirror. What we can see from it is the unadvanced education system. Seeing pupil’s tears, it’s time for us to consider today’s education situation, and choose an appropriate method to cultivate our children because it’s not only related to the youth, but also to our social long-term development.