Paradigm Repackaging: Professional Mouthpiece

This study rethinks the journalistic paradigm shift in Chinese media. Rather than being challenged by professionalism, the dominant paradigm of journalism as mouthpiece is repackaged with techniques of professionalism to achieve greater effects under the changing circumstance of economic reform. Based on a field study in a news program in CCTV (China Central Television) and discourse analysis on its news products, this study concludes that journalists are highly aware of their mouthpiece role but also adept at professional skills in their news reporting. The findings conclude 3 parts: First, the discourse analysis on new productions could help generate a mouthpiece style at work, which allows journalists to be critical on news events and meanwhile play safe in party line; second, journalists in newsrooms have been exposed to an ideological training from their superior; third, the sense of professionalism and self-fulfillment mainly grow in a forbidden zone attributed to conflicts among different interest groups other than the state control.