China Current is an interesting independent media site. They asked me to write a New Year’s message for them. The original English is here and the Chinese is here but I’ll put the whole texts below
It’s about finding the space between.
It’s about navigating the seen and unseen hazards.
It’s about defining the often indefinable.
It’s about creating something new, when the bounds and rules are sometimes hard, sometimes soft, sometimes explicit, sometimes implicit, sometimes clear and sometimes opaque.
Independent journalism in China is not for the fainthearted.
Not only is journalism everywhere re-defining its place in the world and in the economy, but China itself is in the process of establishing what it means to be an emergent economic, regional and world power. And the bounds of expression, of investigation and of independent action within China’s borders – both the physical borders and the virtual borders of the internet world – seem constantly in flux.
There is however, still a space between. There is a space where experimentation is possible. There is a space where investigation is possible. There is a space where independence is possible.
The issue is that the dimensions of that space are not neatly geometric, or easy to define in a few short sentences, or simple to compute with a few straightforward formulas. What seems acceptable on Monday may lead to trouble on Tuesday or may be brought out as a major problem next month.
The People’s Daily sometimes gets the essence of the problem exactly right. When it declared in December, “Use Ethics to Disperse the Haze of Journalism” (用道德驱散“新闻雾霾”) that’s actually important advice, as long as there is common understanding of what the ethical standards are, as long as there is a common understanding of what constitutes the haze enveloping bad journalism, and as long as there is a common commitment to what good journalism actually entails.
The need for good journalism in China has never been more important.
Good, fair, objective journalism provides the transparency society needs as China transitions from a country where corruption ran rampant to one where a strong anti-corruption message, backed by action, comes from the very top.
Good, fair, objective journalism provides the clarity society needs as China transitions to a country where there is rule by law.
Good, fair, objective journalism functions as the clearest mirror for good government, reflecting the true conditions of society and showing reality rather than merely intentions.
Good, fair, objective journalism is the pressure safety valve for society, allowing problems to vent before they become serious.
While it is natural for those in power to see journalists as being a dangerous or negative force, that’s actually a very short sighted reaction. The best journalists do not stand in opposition because they delight in causing trouble. The best journalists are actually true patriots, for they want to improve government and society through their efforts.
However, it is this tension between the real and the ideal that makes it so difficult for official media to play their true role and that makes it so important for there to be brave, careful yet fearless independent voices.
For those voices, it is vital that they commit and adhere to the strictest standards of journalism. As we have seen in sad examples from around the world, when journalists violate their standards, it doesn’t just hurt them or their publication, it reflects terribly on the entire profession, and, most importantly, it hurts the very causes the journalists might be trying to promote.
Journalistic ethics are not that abstruse; most are simply common sense. Yet, like many simple things, actually living up to them can be difficult.
Objectivity is the discipline of seeing things clearly, without allowing personal prejudice to color judgments. Transparency means revealing any and all conflicts or preconceived notions to the reader, so the journalist’s objectivity can be weighed and judged. Fairness means making every effort to understand the story fully and to reflect that understanding back to the reader. Empathy, too, is crucial, for if the journalist really tries to understand why things are the way they are, then he or she can communicate the nuances of the situation much more effectively. Fact and opinion must be separated, labeled and made clear. Financial backers, whether investors, advertisers or donors, may be thanked and appreciated but they must never be allowed to interfere or influence. And finally: the journalist must never waver from a commitment to the truth and the interests of readers.
I salute China Current for trying to be that kind of voice in its young life so far.
The English name, China Current, is very apt. Current can mean “now” or “of the present time”, and for a news-oriented publication that is obviously very important. But current also means “flowing”, “moving like water” and for an independent publication in and about China, that is a vital attribute.
With the political atmosphere charged, with journalists under pressure and scrutiny, the ability to flow smoothly and carefully is so important to being able to continue to exist.
As long as you carry your head high, as long as you hold tight to your standards, as long as you stay true to your commitments to the profession and to the reader, then China Current and its editors and contributors will have an important role to play.
Finding the space to operate may seem very difficult sometimes. But it is there. It does exist.
In that space there is oxygen and room for life and for experimentation.
It exists between the state and its rules.
It exists between the established and the impermissible.
It exists between the public and private.
It exists where standards and ideals of journalism provide guidance and sustenance.
To experiment the way China Current does is exciting, energizing and enterprising.
To continue in 2015 and beyond, understand what is possible and do it.
Understand what is currently impossible and hope for it.
Understand where you can make a difference and make it.
Understand where the space is, and create it as your own.
Before founding Tripod Advisors, David Schlesinger was Chairman of Thomson Reuters China and was the global information services group’s senior representative in the region. He was appointed to that role after four years as Editor-in-Chief of Reuters News. He is on the boards of the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Global Editors Network. Schlesinger served on the Steering Committees for Oxford University’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and for Tsinghua University’s School of Journalism and Communications.
2012 – 2015 © China Current International, a proud part of China Current Network
在中国，怯懦胆小的人是无法运营具有独立精神的新闻事业的。这关乎寻找间隙，在可预测和不可预测的风险间准确定位。这往往需要替未阐明的东西下定义。这要求当我们面对禁制和规则——有时严厉，有时宽松；有时明确，有时隐含；有时清晰，有时模糊——就必须具有一些开创性。
新闻业正在世界各地、各种经济体中被重新定义，与此同时，作为蓬勃发展的新兴经济体——中国本身正走在构筑自己在区域和世界上威望的路途上。因此，无论在中国人的现实生活，还是互联网世界上的虚拟世界中，言论表达、新闻调查、个体行为的界限划分都显得无一定向。
但在这样的不稳定中，仍然有许多空间。于其中，新的实践可以尝试，严肃的新闻调查可以存在，组织的独立性可以延续。
关键问题在于，这个中空地带不是一个整齐的几何学分布的，也很难用几句话来圈定，或者只是用几条直截的运算公式得计算出来。那些在周一看起来还可以接受的东西，一天之后，就可能带来麻烦，甚至在下个月引来巨大的灾祸。
中国共产党党报《人民日报》有时候十分精准的把握了这种现象的本质。它在十二月的一篇评论谈到，“用道德驱散‘新闻雾霾’”，在我看来，这真的是一条非常恳切的建议：只要我们还有对道德标准的基本常识，只要我们还知晓是什么擎起了遮盖腐朽新闻事业的保护伞，只要我们还没有放弃对称职新闻事业的承诺。
中国对于好的新闻产业的需要从来没有像今天一样迫切。
健康、公平、客观的新闻业，是一个明澈的社会体系中不可缺少的部分。尤其是近期，中国政府最高层以行动表示了对反腐的决心和支持，中国现今正从一个官僚系统腐败行为猖獗的国家，演变为对腐败行为强硬的地方。
健康、公平、客观的新闻业，会给正在法制化转型的中国一个愈加透明的社会。
健康、公平、客观的新闻业，是一个好政府最清晰的镜子，揭露真实的社会境况，并呈现那些被人漠视的社会现实。
健康、公平、客观的新闻业，也是社会压力的安全阀门，促使因问题所积蓄的紧张至恶化到不可收拾前得到宣泄。
对于掌权者，视新闻从业者为危险人物和带负面力量并非异常，但这种看法却是非常短浅。优秀的新闻工作者站在问题的对立面，并不是因为他们非常喜欢“惹麻烦”。最好的记者是真正的爱国者，他们仅是希望通过他们微薄的努力来改善政府和社会。
然而，现实和理想之间的紧张状态，常常令官方媒体扮演新闻从业者真正的“角色”变得困难。也正因如此，发出勇敢无畏的独立声音就变得更加重要。
对于这些发声，坚守最严格的新闻专业主义要求仍然十分重要。正如我们看到国际社会上的一些悲剧案例，新闻从业者一旦违反他们职业的标准，最后损害的不仅仅是他所附属的出版机构，而且可怕地影响了整个专业领域。更为重要的是，它毁坏了记者一直希望竭尽全力去推进社会的根本目的。
新闻伦理全然不是艰深难懂的东西，当中大部分都是人们生活中的基本常识。但就似生活中很多简单的规范，真正遵守它们还是很困难。
客观意味着，抛却个人偏见和有色眼镜，让读者清晰地观察一个事件的全貌。透明意味着，记者要把所有在实践中出现的矛盾和预想呈现给读者，也正缘于此，新闻人的客观性才可以被衡量和判断。公正意味着不遗余力地全面理解整个故事，并将理解反馈给读者。记者的感情投入有助理解事物发生的因果，这个说法异常重要——记者藉此才能更有效地表达事态微妙之处。 事实和观点必须隔离、标明，界线分明。新闻组织的经济来源：投资者、广告商或捐款者，应受感谢，但不能允许他们干扰和影响新闻的生产。最后，记者永远不能动摇他们对真相和读者利益的忠诚。
我向深度新闻网自创办以来一直坚持提供客观、公正、中立的新闻致敬。
它的英文名：China Current，非常恰当。Current可以指“现在”或者“当下”，对于新闻导向的出版物来说，这显然是非常重要的。然而，Current也可以指“流动的”，“向水一样移动”，这之于一个独立的出版物——在中国生存，讲中国的故事，亦是至关重要的属性。
籍于中国政治对媒体的控制，新闻从业者担负着相关压力和审查。是否具有平稳的和严谨的“流动能力”，对能否继续存在下去生死攸关。
只要我们问心无愧，只要我们抱紧新闻专业精神，只要我们厉行对工作和读者许下的承诺，那么深度新闻网和其团队依旧会继续在社会扮演重要的角色。
很多时候，寻找操作空间困难重重。但我们相信，这样的空间实际上存在，并一直在那里。在那里，有给生命和探新尝试的氧气和空间：它夹在国家和它的规定之间；存在于规制和不兴的地域；同时存在于公共和私人领域之间。它会存在于新闻专业标准和新闻理想所指引和支持的地方。
深度新闻网的一系列实践让人兴奋，鼓舞士气，且富进取心。在2015年以至将来，让我们一起来看看什么是可能做的，并一起来实现它；看到什么是目前不可行的，且一起期望未来可成全；理解何处我们可以创造精彩，并推动它；感知新的空隙在哪里，或者不啻自己创造出来！
史进德是前汤森路透（Thomas Reuters）中国主席，路透社全球总编辑。2008年，他获得由美国国家电视艺术及科学学院颁发的艾美商业及金融报导终身成就奖。史进德先后担任汤森路透基金会董事，国际街头报纸网络荣誉主席，美国保护记者委员会董事会委员，国际新闻安全协会咨询委员会委员，牛津大学路透新闻研究中心指导委员会委员。他长期担任世界经济论坛（World Economic Forum）的演讲嘉宾，还是由新华社在北京人民大会堂主办的首届世界媒体峰会（World Media Summit）的主讲人。他在2014年12月被选为深度新闻网(China Current Network)顾问。
