The All-China Journalists Association (ACJA), previously known as the 'Chinese Young Journalist Association', is a people's organization established in Shanghai on November 8, 1937.[1] November 8 now marks 'National Journalists Day' in China.[2] The society was established by Chinese wartime reporter Fan Changjiang and later organized and sponsored by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).[1] On September 15, 1949, the All China Journalist Association became the first Chinese media association to be formally recognized by, and integrated into, the International Federation of Journalists.[3]
Membership in the association is required for all professional journalists in China as overseen by the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party.[4] There are over 217 rural and industrial member organizations in the association, encompassing over 1 million individuals in the media industry in China.[5] The All-China Journalists Association is also a member of the Belt and Road News Network, assisting in the network's establishment in 2017.[6]
History
Founding members
Fan Changjiang
Fan Changjiang's career in journalism gained domestic notoriety in China during the Sino-Japanese war, attributed to his work as a war correspondent in regional China.[1] During this period, he made observations of poverty in rural China in his book ‘The Northwest Corner of China’ (Zhongguo de Xibei Jiao), espousing his melancholy to see "bare-footed children…bound-footed women…plodding along’ on the “Refugee Trail".[1]
Fan Changjiang promoted engagement with, and development of, the journalistic profession in rural communities to increase the visibility of minority groups and their diverse experiences during the war and under the existing government.[1] Changjiang became disillusioned with the Nationalist government during the Sino-Japanese war attributed to their perceived disregard for rural communities, and later aligned himself with the CCP.[7]
The Chinese journalist strongly advocated for transforming media practices in China, esteeming objective, factual reporting compared to commentarial pieces in inaccessible language created by his predecessors.[7] Fan Changjiang launched the All-China Journalist Association to manifest this ideological shift, creating an organization where techniques, styles and good reporting practices could be monitored and imparted upon reporters from localities across China and amongst China's various ethnic groups.[1]
Fan Changjiang also participated in opening the ‘Reporters Hostel’ to create a physical location where reporters could collectively gather and share practices and develop ideas.[7] In honor of Fan Changjiang's contribution to the development of journalism and reporting in China, the All-China Journalist Association established the ‘Fan Changjiang Journalist Award’, the most prestigious journalist award in the nation.[8]
Structure
Executive Appointment Process
Board members of the All-China Journalist Association are appointed every five years and are typically high-ranking members of Chinese media institutions, domestically renowned reporters, notable public figures, and well-regarded editors.[8]
President
Zhang Yannong
President Zhang Yannong was born in 1948, joining the ‘People's Daily’ in 1996, one of China's three main state-influenced media organizations.[9] In 2008, he was appointed president of People's Daily. The president was formerly Vice Chairman of the All-China Journalist Association but recently was appointed to president, current as of January 2021.[citation needed]
On June 4, 1989, Shao Huaze became the director of the People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.[11] This appointment followed the removal of existing director Qian Liren and chief editor Tan Wenrui who both had expressed disenfranchisement with the Chinese Communist Party attributed to their involvement in the Tiananmen Square Massacre.[11] In response to this, Shao publicly condemned journalists for spreading "misleading" information about the government.[11]
Formally the president of the All-China Journalist society, Shao Huaze is now the honorary president.[8] Shao Huaze has also been a member of the 15th, 14th and 9th General Committee and National Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.[10]
Executive Vice President
Liu Zhengrong
Liu Zhengrong is a member of the Chinese Communist party and the Deputy Chief of Internet Affairs at the Bureau of the State Council Information Office.[12] He has been significantly involved in preventing access to ‘illicit’ materials entering China through establishment of online ‘firewall’ mechanisms.[12] Liu also acted as vice-president of Xinhua News Agency and currently is also an Executive Secretary for the All-China Journalists Association.[13][8]
The Domestic Work Department works with communities to understand domestic rhetoric and sentiment.[14] Journalists are able to produce authentic localized pieces within the guidelines of the Chinese Communist Party Department of Propaganda.[15]
International Liaison Department
The International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party works to establish connections and communications with foreign media organizations.[16] This outreach program enables Chinese perspectives to be represented in international media as well as Chinese journalists to participate in the international community of journalists.[16]
Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao Affairs Department
The Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Department works with media organizations in these locations in an attempt to improve diplomatic communications and share media practice and ideology.[17]
The General Office and Journalism Training Centre
The General Office and Journalism Training Centre collaborates with the Chinese Communist Party, Journalism schools and university departments to connect journalists and organizations with students, as well as to spread methods and techniques associated with journalism.[15] This department works in adherence to the 2013 ‘Joint Model’ of cooperation and collaboration between the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee and Chinese universities, so as to ensure the spread of CCP ideals and desired media output.[15]
Members
Industrial Partner Organizations
China Photography Association
Established in 1956, the Chinese Photography Association, renamed the Photojournalist Society of China in 1983, aims to provide a platform for photographers to express their interpretation of life in China through visual media focused on both natural landscapes and human stories.[18] The association joined the All-China Journalist association upon its inception and was founded by the former head of the Xinhua News Photography Department, Shi Shaohua, who became the chairman of the new association.[18] The photographer's association aimed to create photographic exhibitions, national and internationally recognized magazines and establish awards to recognize talented Chinese photographers.[18]
Other Industrial Partners
The following list is current as of January 2021.[19]
Chinese Automotive Journalists Association
China City-Level Newspaper Society
China Country-Level Newspaper Society
China Digest News Society
China Petroleum Journalists Association
China Evening News Journalists Association
Chinese News Cartoon Society
Chinese Newspaper Supplements Society
Chinese Posts and Telecommunications Journalist Association
Provincial Member Organizations
Anhui Journalists Association
Chongqing Journalists Association
Fujian Journalists Association
Gansu Journalists Association
Guangdong Journalists Association
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Journalists Association
Guizhou Journalists Association
Hainan Journalists Association
Hebei Journalists Association
Heilongjiang Journalists Association
Henan Journalists Association
Hubei Journalists Association
Hunan Journalists Association
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Journalists Association
Jiangsu Journalists Association
Jiangxi Journalists Association
Jilin Journalist Association
Liaoning Journalists Association
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Journalists Association
Qinghai Journalists Association
Shaanxi Journalists Association
Shandong Journalists Association
Shanghai Journalists Association
Shanxi Journalists Association
Sichuan Journalists Association
Tianjin Journalists Association
Tibet Autonomous Region Journalists Association
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Journalist Association
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Journalists Association
Yunnan Journalists Association
Zhejiang Journalists Association
Awards and Accolades
Fan Changjiang Award
The Fan Changjiang Award is awarded to reporters, and is regarded as one of the two most recognized journalism awards in China.[5]
Taofen Award
The Taofen Award, named after Zou Taofen is dedicated to journalistic editors for 'outstanding' contribution.[8]
International Interactions
Belt and Road
Project summary
The Belt and Road Project is a physical manifestation of China's expansionary foreign policy under leadership of Xi Jinping.[20][21] The initiative was launched in Kazakhstan at Nazarbayev University and in Indonesia in late 2013.[21] The Belt and Road Initiative is of significance internationally attributed to China's inextricable and transnational economic integration, predominantly through its role in manufacturing but expanding into other industries such as technology.[21]
The Belt and Road Project has three predominant aspects: Overland, Technological, and Maritime. The Overland aspect includes coherent development of routes passing through Russia, Mongolia, the Middle East, Central Asia, Turkey and ending at Europe.[21] The initiative's Maritime manifestation includes control and ability to facilitate trade and movements through the South China Sea, Indian Ocean and towards the Middle East and Europe.[21] Technologically, China has developed satellites, fiber-optic cables, communication networks, and has promoted the expansion of Chinese mobile companies to integrate the international community and China more deeply.[20] The Chinese government has launched initiatives to these effects, such as developing railways in the south-east Asian region.[20] China has also worked to influence nations through crafting aid agreements, bilateral trading agreements and establishing free trade with participating and cooperative nations.[20]
All-China Journalists Association and Belt and Road
The All-China Journalists Association regularly cooperates with the Chinese government and member organizations and journalists to produce content that updates about and promotes the Belt and Road Project.[22] This is exemplified through articles published by the organization in cooperation with oligarchical Chinese news agencies such as Xinhuanet and China Daily.[9] A report on May 5, 2020, from the organization in collaboration with China Daily alludes to Russian collaboration through the assertion "we are all in a community of common destiny.[8]”
In 2018, the All-China Journalists Association assembled the BRI Journalists Forum, which included approximately 100 representatives from 47 developing countries.[23]: 132
The Belt and Road Journalists Network
The Belt and Road Initiative has also enabled the All-China Journalist Society, in collaboration with other members of the Belt and Road Project to create a ‘Belt and Road Journalists Network.[24] The Belt and Road News Network, launched in 2017, encompasses 208 media organizations from over 98 different nations.[6] The Chair of the organization is China's People's Daily in collaboration with the All-China Journalists Association with the Secretariat located at ‘People's Daily’ in Beijing, China.[6] The first council meeting was held in 2019, in Beijing, China, with over 40 international media organizations present.[6]
This collaboration encompasses multiple media forms, including music, photography and news.[24] Belt and Road News Network activities include collaborative media trips, shared access to news and media archives and databases, collective workshops and training seminars, as well as awards.[6][24] In September 2019, the Belt and Road News Network held a media workshop in China; over 47 countries were represented and over 100 senior correspondents and senior editors were present.[6]
Belt and Road News Association Charter
The Charter contains 20 articles espousing collective adherence to ‘peaceful cooperation’ and ‘mutual learning.’[6]
Article Number
Summary
Article 1
Jointly established by nations involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Article 2
Build an open and collaborative media platform. Promote peace, green development, and prosperity. Develop International Relations.
Article 3
Headquarters are in Beijing, China.
Article 4
Improve project cooperation and operational mechanisms.
Article 5
Host events such as seminars, workshops, awards, and communal travel to foster interaction and open dialogue.
Article 6
Share information among media organisations and transfer technological innovations.
Article 7
Contribute to joint research programs.
Article 8
Members must have a level of domestic influence in their respective nations, adhere to the charter, and be voluntary members of the organisation.
Article 9
The chair of the council, which will be assumed by the ‘People's Daily’, is responsible for organising meetings and events. Councils will have two-year terms.
Article 10
Permanent office is the People's Daily in Beijing, China.
Article 11
Membership is organised by invitation.
Article 12
Members who wish to withdraw must submit written documents to this effect. Members may be removed by popular vote.
Article 13
Members have access to all activities organised by the Belt and Road News Network.
Article 14
Members shall attend meetings every two years.
Article 15
Council meetings will be held sporadically.
Article 16
The Belt and Road News Network will:
1. Provide a news service platform.
2. Provide a database to share resources.
3. Organise international trips.
4. Provide journalist training programs.
5. Confer Belt and Road Media Awards.
6. Provide tailored services to members.
Article 17
The charter will be enacted once the council has approved it.
Article 18
Amendments will be decided by the council.
Article 19
The Secretariat (People's Daily, China) is responsible for interpreting the charter.
Article 20
The Charter has been translated into English from Chinese and, therefore, if there is any discrepancy, the Chinese document will be adhered to as the primary document.
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