Going back to their roots
- By Zhao Yihai
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China.org.cn, October 26, 2011
In CCTV News' recent "Go grassroots: Northeast grain-producing area to receive a bounty" segment co-produced by president Jiao on Sept. 8, a local farmer introduced the advantages of "Wuchang rice". Later, Jiao, wearing a white shirt, came on screen. He and a few farmers sat on a tractor surrounded by golden rice fields.
Local officials told the Southern Weekly reporter the program was filmed the morning after Jiao Li arrived at Wuchang City. "Instead of taking the car special arranged for him, Jiao chose to take the tractor to the paddy fields," one official said.
In Jiao's second appearance on the program, he listened to local villagers analyzing the autumn harvest situation in the paddy fields. CCTV Commentator Yang Yu said, "In the 3-minute program, [Jiao] appeared only twice. The short screen time indicates the focus of the 'Going Grassroots' is not on showing the correspondent itself."
Zhang Yannong's first report is even more spectacular. The 63-year-old Zhang insisted on going taking the elevator cage down into coal mines in Shanxi, as ordinary miners do.
China News Service president Liu Beixian's visit to Enping City, Guangdong Province, was unfortunately hindered by inclement weather. The surprise visit of Typhoon "Neuchatel" caused Enping City to suffer heavy rains. However, the interview group led by Liu didn't change its schedule. As the interview group was passing a town, a tree was uprooted by the strong winds. The fallen tree blocked the group's passage.
Liu, a ministerial-level official, got out off the car and regulated the traffic in the heavy rain. His staff were also asked to help workers clear fallen tree. "We were all wet from head to toe. Our leather shoes were soaked by the rain," one staff member recalled.
The heads of the prefectures, cities and counties where the minister-level correspondents visited also participated without exception, thanking the national media for their kind attention. One official at the municipal publicity department of Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province told the Southern Weekly that local officials hoped the media could give more coverage to their local economic and social development.
"Talking with local leaders allows the central media to have first-hand information for better understanding of the local conditions," the official said.
Grassroots coverage from these "ministerial" correspondents has also received special treatment in their respective media organizations. Stories from these top level correspondents have been given priority over other stories, appearing prominently in almost all participating newspapers.
An "Eyes down" approach, in which top officials do not avoid discussing local problems, has been emphasized by a number of central media officials as a key feature of the "Go Grassroots" campaign.
Despite an encouraging start, there remains room for improvement in "go grassroots" projects. During the first round of interview activity last month, these correspondents came and went in haste. According to one official, more time needs to be spent on the ground to gain a more accurate picture of the realities facing villagers.
As Wang Qiu, president of the China National Radio (CNR) mentioned in a statement: "You have to live with the farmers for a few more days. They can teach you something you never knew before."
(This article was first published in Chinese and translated by Li Huiru.)
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