Media, Role And Trust:a Study Based On The Journalist Tribune

The Symposium of Shanghai Journalist was established by Yun Yiqun, Yuan Shu, Lu Yi, Liu Zucheng and other young journalists in1930s. Its substance was to explore the knowledge of journalism and promote the self-education of journalists. Journalist Tribune was a journalism column, which was edited and published every week by the Symposium of Shanghai Journalist, on the Chinese version of Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury. This paper takes the theory of role and trust as the wedging point. We will select three important issues of Journalist Tribune and place them in the framework of media, role and trust, in order to glimpse into the state of Chinese journalism in1930s. At the same time, we will try our best to reveal the relations between and among media, role and trust.In the first chapter, we can find that China has undergone tremendous changes in the1930s. The Symposium of Shanghai Journalist was established and Journalist Tribune was published by some young reporters. They want to fulfill the duties of journalist and promote the development of Chinese journalism. In this part, the historical panorama of the Symposium of Shanghai Journalist and Journalist Tribune will be explored carefully.In the second section, we will analyse the role expectation for journalist both Chinese journalism scholars and professional journalists during the1930s. They believed that a journalist should be an uncrowned king or a model for entire society. Meanwhile, he must obey some certain role norm. However, in fact, the role cognition for journalists of the public was not consistent with their self-expectation. That means they were facing a crisis of trust. One of the reasons was journalists had big problems with discipline. Journalist Tribune made great effort to criticize the discipline problems, which indicated that the Symposium of Shanghai Journalist want to rebuild the social trust in journalists. Coincidentally, the New Women was happening at this time. The Symposium of Shanghai Journalist and Shanghai Journalists Association had different opinions on this incident. That is to say, there were two different value orientation and path selection.During the publication of Journalist Tribune, Japan was stepping up its aggression against China.China was facing unprecedented severe national crisis. The members of the Symposium of Shanghai Journalist realized that the press and journalists should stand in the forefront of the national tragedy, Shoulder the responsibility to Save the fate of the country. At the same time, they exposed the conspiracy of the Japanese news policy. They also criticized the news control policy and press censorship which were implemented by Nanjing National Government. It was not noly their career pursuit, but also the requirement of fulfil their political mission. However, Nanjing National Government’s news policy was based on their position on the role of the press and judgment of international and domestic environment. The game playing of role between Nanjing National Government and the press also indicated their mutual distrust.Finally, European and American journalism obviously played a crucial role on modern Chinese journalism academia, news activities and journalism education. But, it has been criticised in the process of Chinese journalism to develop independent consciousness. And due to the changement of the political situation between China and Japan, a kind of journalism reform movement emerged in China. The Symposium of Shanghai Journalist and Journalist Tribune both made important contributions to this movement. Unfortunately, this movement was obstacled by the Journalism Seminar Incident and the closure of Journalist Tribune.