Studying Mao Zedong's "Newspaper-running Thought"

Mao Zedong attached great importance to and was good at running newspapers. From participating in the Peking University News Research Association in Beijing in the early years, to founding the "Xiangjiang Review" in Hunan and personally writing many articles, to acting as the propaganda minister of the Kuomintang Central Committee and editing the "Political Weekly" during the first cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, it gave birth to a wealth of newspaper running ideas. In his long-term revolutionary career, Mao Zedong paid more attention to the important role of newspapers and periodicals in "expanding political influence and winning over the broad masses", and repeatedly wrote, reviewed and revised important editorials of Jiefang Daily, Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily. He wrote a number of important expositions on news propaganda work, which embodies Mao Zedong's thought of running newspapers.

Newspaper is a weapon to guide the work and educate the masses

It is emphasized that newspapers and periodicals are an important weapon to serve the cause of the Party and an important part of Mao Zedong's thought of running newspapers. In 1925, in the article "Reasons for the Publication of the Political Weekly", Mao Zedong began by proposing "Why the publication of the Political Weekly?" For the revolution "and" propagandize the counter-offensive to the counter-revolutionaries in order to break the counter-revolutionary propaganda ". In the following two years, the "Political Weekly" vigorously publicized 14 major events such as the Shamian strike and the May 30th Movement, and effectively counterattacked newspapers such as the "Industrial and Commercial Daily" and "News" sponsored by the comprador class, and "made the people understand The party and its purpose have changed the attitude of doubting the party in the past," and have achieved great external propaganda effects. During the Agrarian Revolution, Mao Zedong paid more attention to the important role of newspapers in "expanding political influence and winning over the broad masses". He pointed out in the "Gutian Conference Resolution" that neglecting newspaper propaganda "is actually tantamount to helping the ruling class weaken the power of the Red Army". During the Yan'an period, Mao Zedong repeatedly emphasized the importance of newspapers in that "it can enable the party's program line, principles and policies, work tasks and working methods to meet with the masses most quickly and widely", and required the party's propaganda staff and education and culture Workers "should hold newspapers in their own hands as a weapon to organize all work" to reflect and guide the political, military, economic and cultural construction of the base areas.

"Make our propaganda strengthen the party spirit"

Mao Zedong always advocated that newspapers and periodicals should adhere to the principle of party spirit. In September 1942, Mao Zedong emphasized in "Strengthening the Party Spirit of Newspaper Propaganda" that "newspaper propaganda must be subordinated to the party's policy", and required local news agencies and newspapers to study the central policy in time to enhance the party spirit awareness in propaganda reports. In addition, in August 1948, Mao Zedong specially added a paragraph in the drafting process of the Central Committee's resolution on the request and report system, stressing that "local party newspapers must unconditionally publicize the line and policies of the Central Committee" and should not "put themselves in a parallel position with the Central Committee", so as to enhance the sense of alignment in propaganda and reporting. After the founding of the the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong paid more attention to the party spirit of propaganda and reporting. It clearly points out the fundamental attribute that newspaper propaganda should serve the proletariat under the leadership of the proletarian party.

"Go deep into the masses, not just talk"

Mao Zedong has always insisted that newspapers and periodicals should adhere to the mass line. During the Agrarian Revolution, in view of the problems existing in the propaganda work of the Red Army, such as neglecting the acquisition of the urban poor, neglecting the propaganda of the masses of women and the insufficient propaganda of the young masses, Mao Zedong put forward the requirement of running the current affairs bulletin, and in March 1931, he drafted and promulgated the general order of holding the current affairs bulletin. It is pointed out that the purpose of this measure is to "improve the mood of the masses and break the old-fashioned views of the masses". In terms of style and popularity, Mao Zedong asked to use the local dialect, "can't write the local dialect, but also use very simple Putonghua", so as to facilitate the masses to read. In terms of propaganda content, Mao Zedong emphasized the need to report more news "closely related to the lives of the masses", such as "rinderpest, grain death, rice shortage, salt shortage, Jingwei Regiment", etc., so that "the masses must like to watch". In terms of length and font, Mao Zedong stipulated that "the number of words shall not exceed 40 words per article and 400 words per issue". Only in this way can "look clear and clear" and become "reading materials for the real masses". The masses "read both the newspaper and the words". During the Yan'an period, Mao Zedong paid more attention to the principle that newspapers and periodicals should adhere to the mass line. He seriously criticized the "Liberation Daily" for "being divorced from the masses, from life, and from reality", and personally inscribed the eight-character policy of "going deep into the masses, not just empty talk" to supervise the revision of the "Liberation Daily. In Mao Zedong's view, adhering to the mass line in newspaper propaganda is mainly reflected in two aspects: one is to keep close contact with the masses and reflect the lives of the masses in a timely manner, so that the masses can "gradually leave the ignorant state" after reading newspapers ". The second is to interpret and publicize the party's policies in newspapers and periodicals on the basis of studying the party's policies, and to express the party's position. so as to achieve the propaganda purpose of "letting the masses know their own interests, their own tasks, and the party's guidelines.

"Newspapers must have a certain direction for a certain period of time"

Mao Zedong repeatedly stressed that "newspapers should have a certain direction in a certain period" and should concentrate their firepower on the central task of the party in this period. During the period of the new democratic revolution, Mao Zedong attached great importance to and was good at fighting the propaganda war with the help of the party's newspapers and periodicals to cooperate with the party's central task. For example, after the outbreak of the all-out war of resistance, in response to the pessimism about the future of the war inside and outside the party, Mao Zedong called for the mobilization of newspapers, publications, news agencies, and other front-line officers and soldiers and the people of the whole country to promote the concept of "war of resistance to the end, against surrender and compromise", and put forward three specific propaganda policies: first, to promote the typical war of resistance (Pingxingguan, Taierzhuang, etc.); the second is to expose, purge and eliminate the negativity that exists and grows in the National Front; the third is to publicize to the whole country all the concrete examples of the enemy's brutal and brutal acts in order to raise and promote national self-esteem and self-confidence. For another example, in 1943, the Kuomintang attempted to launch the third anti-communist upsurge. Mao Zedong organized the propaganda counterattack and asked local newspapers and news agencies to expose the Kuomintang's conspiracy, so as to achieve the purpose of "stopping the civil war and punishing provocators", so as to "assist the self-defense struggle in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border region", which finally forced the Kuomintang's third anti-communist plan to die. In addition, because the party's central task in a specific historical period is constantly changing, Mao Zedong also attached great importance to observing changes in the situation in order to formulate correct propaganda policies. For example, on May 22, 1946, in order to cooperate with political negotiations, Mao Zedong wrote to Xinhua News Agency and Jiefang Daily Acting President and Editor-in-Chief Yu Guangsheng: "From the 23rd, the broadcast of friction news will be suspended". On June 23 of the same year, Chiang Kai-shek besieged the Central Plains Liberated Area with a 300000 army and quickly ignited the flames of a full-scale civil war. In order to adapt to the new situation, Mao Zedong once again wrote to Yu Guangsheng, "From now on, all the news of Chiang Kai-shek's attack on me will be published and broadcast." He concentrated his firepower to "expose" and strongly supported the breakthrough of the Central Plainian.

Develop excellent editors and journalists

Mao Zedong believed that the key to a good newspaper lies in the quality of editors and reporters. During the Agrarian Revolution, in response to the wrong tendencies in the propaganda work of the Red Army, Mao Zedong emphasized in the "Gutian Conference Resolution" the need to "reform the composition of propaganda team members", and "invite local governments to select progressives to join the Red Army propaganda team" or "select from soldiers of various units." Excellent elements are used as propagandists "to enrich the propaganda team of the Red Army, and the Political Department is required to" make regular plans to train propaganda team ", to" improve the quality of the propagandist ". During the Yan'an period, in order to improve the quality of the newspaper, Mao Zedong personally drafted the fourth edition of the "Liberation Daily" and selected a team of expert editors to be responsible for the work of soliciting contributions. For example, Fan Wenlan is responsible for historical themes and solicits 12000 words per month. Ai Siqi is responsible for cultural and philosophical topics, soliciting 10000 words per month. Zhou Yang is responsible for the theme of literary criticism, soliciting 10000 words per month, etc. Not only that, Mao Zedong also personally attended the editorial staff's symposium and instructed them to improve their working ability. For example, at the forum of editors of Jinsui daily held in April 1948, Mao Zedong proposed that "in order to educate the masses, newspaper staff should first learn from the masses", and required editors and reporters to "often learn from the materials reflected below, and slowly enrich their practical knowledge". Only in this way can they "undertake the task of educating the masses". In terms of grammar and style of writing, Mao Zedong advocated that when educating editors, they should choose several standard documents and materials as examples so that they can master them skillfully. After the establishment of the the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong still paid attention to the training of editors and journalists. He stressed that all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions "should have their own excellent editors and journalists of newspapers and publications". Only in this way can they "improve their own newspapers and publications".

Source: Learning Times