A New Round Trip Of Hope And Dream

"Public Journalism", or called "Civil Journalism", is a new type of theory emerged around 1990 in America. Since Public Journalism, a solution to social criticism and credit crisis, came from a overwhelming media movement mobilized by American journalism industry, the social consequence and role for American society played by it were more intensified than its academic value did. "Public Journalism" is such a developing deed that its theoretical integrity is not necessarily perfect. But the idea embodied in Public Journalism did great hit on traditional journalism, even subversion. Once Public Journalism was introduced to China, Chinese journalistic course paid much attention to it. Nowadays, with the intensification of national public mind and the foundation of public space of modern life in China, the development of Public Journalism in China will have more brilliant prospect and get more support. At the same time, Chinese journalistic media try to introduce Public Journalism idea to media routine. Although public journalism in China is still on its rudimentary phase, it has clearly showed its Chinese streak.The first part of the article emphasizes on clearing up the history of the American Public Journalism, started with the fundamental conception. It also discussed the background, the trend and the disputes it faced in the process of development. The second part of the article demonstrated the relationship of the social journalism and the public journalism in China depending on the comparison between their background and the distinction essentially. The last part of the article compared with the fundation of practice, the domain of report and the function of the public journalism in America and China. Finally, it briefly analysed the plight of our country in practicing Public Journalism and gave a description of the prospect of Chinese Public Journalism.