China Ink

Judy Polumbaum is a former newspaper reporter. She is currently professor of journalism and mass communication at The University of Iowa. Along with Gao Yuan, she cowrote Born Red: A Chronicle of the Cultural Revolution and Lure the Tiger Out of the Mountains: The Thirty-six Stratagems of Ancient China.Xiong Lei spent 25 years as a reporter and editor for China Features, an English-language feature service of Xinhua News Agency. She is an environmental writer and consultant in Beijing.

• Part 1 Preface by Aryeh NeierPart 2 Introduction by Judy PolumbaumPart 3 Part one: The changing establishmentPart 4 Chapter 1: In all my time as a journalist, there's been no moment I didn't think about those four words: freedom of the press. Wang Jun, Outlook WeeklyPart 5 Chapter 2: Some of my male competitors might have been very capable, but nobody had a passion stronger than mine. Zhou Yijun, Xinhua News AgencyPart 6 Chapter 3: The question is how to be professional, how to be fair to your interviewees, how to make balanced reports, how to convey different voices and different sides. Lin Gu, China FeaturesPart 7 Chapter 4: Compared to other jobs, a journalist's work is always fresh, as the sun is new every day. Gong Wen, People's DailyPart 8 Chapter 5: We do not represent ourselves as a mouthpiece-other media may have that concept, but not us. Tan Hongkai, China DailyPart 9 Chapter 6: If you are not allowed to speak, you can stay silent, or laugh. But you shouldn't tell lies. Jin Yongquan, China Youth NewsPart 10 Part two: Into the frayPart 11 Chapter 7: Why do we go after news? Because the news is there. Li Yang, China NewsweekPart 12 Chapter 8: If you have ideals, you'll be happy in journalism. Although you'll face many vexations, you'll reap lots of spiritual rewards. Liu Jianqiang, Southern WeekendPart 13 Chapter 9: Being a journalist is not a job or a profession, but a lifestyle. It is beyond man's will. Hu Zhibin, The FirstPart 14 Chapter 10: My greatest challenge in work is gaining knowledge, since you never know what kind of people and what sorts of things you'll run into the next day. Zhan Minhui, Beijing NewsPart 15 Part three: In the nichesPart 16 Chapter 11: I don't have to write about things I don't want to write about, or report things I don't wish to report. Lu Yi, Sanlian Life WeeklyPart 17 Chapter 12: Journalists who report on minority affairs, in addition to truly reflecting facts and having morals and conscience, must have the capacity for love and compassion. Yang Jin, Nationalities PictorialPart 18 Chapter 13: Sports reporting can be about very small things; a story that provides something practical and beneficial doesn't have to be of great significance. Zhang Xuguang, China Sports NewsPart 19 Chapter 14: To many athletes, journalists are a headache because they ask meaningless questions and intrude on their lives. Ma Yin, Titan NewsPart 20 Part four: Over the airPart 21 Chapter 15: I go out reporting every day, sometimes doing three or four pieces in a day. My time is not my own. Liu Qian, China Central TelevisionPart 22 Chapter 16: Sometimes I'll feel good about my work, and it gets trashed. Ai Da, Beijing TelevisionPart 23 Chapter 17: Live talk programs are one-to-one, although the one could be millions of listeners. When I talk to them, I feel I'm talking to an individual. Xiang Fei, China National RadioPart 24 Part five: New configurationsPart 25 Chapter 18: There's no need to be discouraged; there are always things one can accomplish. Wang Shuo, Finance & Economics MagazinePart 26 Chapter 19: Our biggest challenge is the uncertainty of the future of print media. Liu Zouwei, 21st Century Business HeraldPart 27 Chapter 20: My background actually makes it harder to arrive at elementary knowledge-so only now can I learn the simplest principles and regain some common sense. Zhang Lixian, Readers Warehouse

China Ink is a fascinating window onto the world in which Chinese journalists operate. Among the book's most striking revelations is the wide variety of personalities, tactics, values, and aspirations with which they approach their task.