Nov. 26, 2014 – Zheng Yu, the executive editor of Xinhua News Agency, visited the School of Journalism and Communication and gave a seminar about China News Broadcasting through Social Networking Sites (SNS) to international students in the postgraduate Global Business Journalism Program.

During the seminar, Yu used examples from Xinhua News Agency, including ‘The Moon Rover Micro Blog and ‘Terrorists mass killing at the China train station’ as case studies to illustrate the agency’s strategies and increasing use of social networking sites as a tool for news broadcasting.

Yu used the two examples to give an in-depth analysis of how the agency has been successful in utilizing social networking sites in recent times as an innovative platform to release news to both local and international audiences.

He also said that the advancement of the mobile internet and the rise of social networking sites pose a challenge to traditional media agencies.

In order to satisfy the needs of an information-hungry audience and avoid being eliminated, it is important for news agencies to keep abreast of the changes in technology and strive to provide good service to their end-users, he said.

To meet users’ demand, Xinhua News Agency introduced several new mobile interactive platforms to involve its audience in the news-making process.

“iFocus” is a news service application that concentrates on the frontline of a story, the analysis of information provided and the consolidation of individuals’ voices (as a common “I”) to the world.

This application encourages user-generated information and news through the use of mobile phones to snap photographs, record videos and provide breaking news by sending these materials through the application. Gatekeepers then verify the information before the agency releases the news.

The launch of these service platforms taps the public’s presence and expertise to provide and authenticate information, increasing the level of efficiency and timeliness in news production.

“ICrossChina” a platform targeted at global tourists to China, as well as “ReadChina” are new platforms that were designed to attract and meet the needs of new users.

In the seminar, Yu also talked about the new market-oriented operations that Xinhua News Agency has adopted to managing data trends in news.

Yu invited students to visit the news agency to get a better understanding of how the Chinese mainstream press works.

During the Question and Answer session, Yu shared his views frankly, which the international students said later that they appreciated.

The seminar gave students a better perspective on Xinhua News Agency, how it is run and to some extent, helped students gain a more comprehensive understanding of how news reporting is done in China.

Yu is an expert in covering politics and technology and also a recipient of the China News Award and numerous national awards. Additionally, he is an accomplished academic who has published many books and papers.

(by Yvonne Lek)