22/04/07
This week is Chinatown Gate week. I really enjoyed this assignment.
In China, most of the stories I did were controversy and sensitive and it was really difficult to get information. Before last July, besides covering trade I went outside Beijing for 7 to 10 days every month for urgent and important assignments about which I had no contacts, background or knowledge at all and I even didn’t expect people would speak out or to tell the truth when I approached them. I had worked like this for 15 months and then I decided to only cover trade and health. I was successful in almost all the assignments but my business trips were full of frustration and nightmare.
That is why I enjoyed working here. The topic was interesting and everybody liked to talk to me. I interviewed Americans in the daytime and Chinese at night. I was really relaxed.
I guess my one shortcoming is that I always over report. I interview too many people. Up till now I have interviewed 14 people for this story and will interview more in the next week. I was slowly not only because I interviewed many people but also because I would rather record then to just take notes.
You know I am still not confident on my listening comprehension. But this morning, I found I can write down all the important words my source has said. Wonderful!!
What will be my next story?
Next week my number one job is to build my own network. So my aim in the next week is: everyday meet one new person.
Today I met with a woman from the world affair council in Philadelphia. She invited me to attend their activities as guest. Next Tuesday I will attend a fundraising party for a city councilman. I will absolutely meet more new ones. By the way, I have my Inquirer business cards now!
Last week, Bob Moran, our crime reporter was so sympathetic that he invited me to work with him in the west Philadelphia. Then Andy asked him if possible to work with me for other stories. We went out for an event about death penalty. I did some transcript for him and I found my name was on byline. I felt a little embarrassed because I contributed only a little.
This Friday I felt better because I worked much more with Jeff, our health reporter on the story about mental health. But I felt embarrassed again when I found he put my name before his name. I asked him not to do so because he was the writer.
To tell the truth, the most important thing to me is I can really help people here but not to be a burden. Byline, though makes me feel comfortable when my fellows keep asking about my stories and showing their own, is not very important for me. Though I enjoyed working here and working alone is not a problem for me, I want to work with other journalists so that I can learn from different people and learn how the American society works.
My final aim is to find a way for the development of Chinese Journalism and Chinese society. The more people I talk to, the more things I observe or involve with, the more I can share with my colleagues and my readers in China.
I talked with Jennifer Lin, my mentor, about my training program. Besides working for the Inquirer, I also need time to do my own research which is the internet and the US-China trade. I want to learn how to use Bloomberg. I also want to go to the Metropolitan Museum again. I want more my own time to cook!
I am learning every minute. When I do transcript I recognize my wrong pronunciations so that I can fix them. I found a whole new world when I watched Jennifer and her son’s movie product. I learn what community is from the Gate story. I learn how to efficiently run a media by watching the Inquirer’s emails everyday. However, I am still looking for a cheaper way without Hermes.
The most important thing I learn from the program is how to deal with new comers or green hands. We have many green hands in my magazine with little experience but huge potential. They deserve more attention. To what extent they can contribute depends on to what extend we help and inspire them and provide a warm working environment. I do learn a lot from Andy, Jennifer, John Brumfield, Susan and Katie. For example, Andy is busy but sitting next to him is a kind of comfort to me.
2007年4月28日星期六
Girl Girl Study, Up Up Everyday, My first week at the Inquirer
04/15/2007
My first week was a very busy orientation week. In the first three days, I had ten interviews every day, with all the important people in the news room. I was very sorry that I could not talk Bill, the editor in chief, since he was still in hospital after surgery. However, I finally met him last week.
Before I set out to the States I talked with my editor in chief, editors in each desks, and website manager. I asked them for what they wanted me to learn from the program and collected a lot of questions.
However, I did not want to throw all the questions to them now. I would like to find by myself first and then I could ask better questions.
Actually some interviews were so interesting that I could not wait for one more minute. After I talked with the people in the Philly.com, I rushed back to my apartment and reported to my website editor.
Andy is a wonderful mentor. Before I went to Philla, he had already written a letter to the newsroom to introduce me and encouraged them to say hello to me. You can imagine how I was surprised when I received letters from my future colleagues.
I replied by sending a video I made with my photos and it did help a lot. Now 156 people watched it and I bet most of them were sitting in this white building.
It was my first video. And then I made four. To me it was not only for fun but also to help me out of homesickness and loneliness. The newest one is for my fellows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDmOyYTaTc8
Andy also asked people to donate their used cooking things to me since there were only few things in the kitchen of my apartment. Everyday when I entered the newsroom I found a pan, a wok or a pot on my desk.
Jennifer Lin, another mentor, a former Beijing correspondent with the Inquirer reminded me of the life in Beijing. Though she was still in a fellowship in University of Pennsylvania, we had several pleasant dinners and we will have more in the next week.
John Brumfield, the administrative person, who helped to find my apartment, is amazing. Every time I turned to him, he gave me the answer. Every time he saw reports about China, he would give them to me. He is efficient and warm hearted.
To my surprise, my first assignment was about basketball. A Chinese basketball player, who would go to the United States for the NBA draft, is the target of 76ers, the Philadelphia basketball team. As a business reporter, I had never covered sport and I had no interest in basketball at all. Now I learned a lot! The story was not done yet since the sport editor is still on vacation. He will be back tomorrow.
Besides homesickness, English writing is another big concern. I have no previous professional English writing experience and I didn’t worry too much when I was in China. The reason is simple. I write in Chinese so that I have a lot more readers and influence than any English media reporter could have in China. Better English writing or more bylines were not my number one goal for this program.
Now I realized I must work harder on my English listening and writing or I would be a burden not helper for the Inquirer.
I set up my aim: one paper everyday, one magazine every week. I put a slogan on the back of refrigerator: Hao Hao Xue Xi Tian Tian Xiang Shang(girl girl study, up up everyday), which haven’t been in my room since I graduated from elementary school.
Now I am working on a story about Chinatown Gate. It is really interesting. I got the answer of a question hunting me for 2 years: why Chinatown is so dirty?
However, I hope I can have more opportunities to work with other reporters so that I can gain my understanding of the American society. Last week I went with Bob Moran, the crime reporter, to the west part of Philadelphia where two murders happened in one week. To me, the most terrible thing of the story was that the murders were between teenagers with guns.
A exciting news! I will have my blog in Philly.com. I am still thinking of the name of the blog.
My first week was a very busy orientation week. In the first three days, I had ten interviews every day, with all the important people in the news room. I was very sorry that I could not talk Bill, the editor in chief, since he was still in hospital after surgery. However, I finally met him last week.
Before I set out to the States I talked with my editor in chief, editors in each desks, and website manager. I asked them for what they wanted me to learn from the program and collected a lot of questions.
However, I did not want to throw all the questions to them now. I would like to find by myself first and then I could ask better questions.
Actually some interviews were so interesting that I could not wait for one more minute. After I talked with the people in the Philly.com, I rushed back to my apartment and reported to my website editor.
Andy is a wonderful mentor. Before I went to Philla, he had already written a letter to the newsroom to introduce me and encouraged them to say hello to me. You can imagine how I was surprised when I received letters from my future colleagues.
I replied by sending a video I made with my photos and it did help a lot. Now 156 people watched it and I bet most of them were sitting in this white building.
It was my first video. And then I made four. To me it was not only for fun but also to help me out of homesickness and loneliness. The newest one is for my fellows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDmOyYTaTc8
Andy also asked people to donate their used cooking things to me since there were only few things in the kitchen of my apartment. Everyday when I entered the newsroom I found a pan, a wok or a pot on my desk.
Jennifer Lin, another mentor, a former Beijing correspondent with the Inquirer reminded me of the life in Beijing. Though she was still in a fellowship in University of Pennsylvania, we had several pleasant dinners and we will have more in the next week.
John Brumfield, the administrative person, who helped to find my apartment, is amazing. Every time I turned to him, he gave me the answer. Every time he saw reports about China, he would give them to me. He is efficient and warm hearted.
To my surprise, my first assignment was about basketball. A Chinese basketball player, who would go to the United States for the NBA draft, is the target of 76ers, the Philadelphia basketball team. As a business reporter, I had never covered sport and I had no interest in basketball at all. Now I learned a lot! The story was not done yet since the sport editor is still on vacation. He will be back tomorrow.
Besides homesickness, English writing is another big concern. I have no previous professional English writing experience and I didn’t worry too much when I was in China. The reason is simple. I write in Chinese so that I have a lot more readers and influence than any English media reporter could have in China. Better English writing or more bylines were not my number one goal for this program.
Now I realized I must work harder on my English listening and writing or I would be a burden not helper for the Inquirer.
I set up my aim: one paper everyday, one magazine every week. I put a slogan on the back of refrigerator: Hao Hao Xue Xi Tian Tian Xiang Shang(girl girl study, up up everyday), which haven’t been in my room since I graduated from elementary school.
Now I am working on a story about Chinatown Gate. It is really interesting. I got the answer of a question hunting me for 2 years: why Chinatown is so dirty?
However, I hope I can have more opportunities to work with other reporters so that I can gain my understanding of the American society. Last week I went with Bob Moran, the crime reporter, to the west part of Philadelphia where two murders happened in one week. To me, the most terrible thing of the story was that the murders were between teenagers with guns.
A exciting news! I will have my blog in Philly.com. I am still thinking of the name of the blog.
2007年4月26日星期四
Meet "The First Lady of the Press", Helen Thomas
On a unusually chilly and windy morning, I walked across the empty streets in Washington and went into the Starbucks at 17 Streets and Pennsylvania Avenue. I was there for an interview with Helen Thomas.
"The First Lady of the Press," Helen Thomas, 87, is the former White House Bureau Chief of United Press International and now Hearst Newspapers columnist. She began her White House correspondent career in 1961 and has covered every president since Kennedy.
I met Helen at the White House press briefing and witnessed she firing questions to the spokesperson from the middle of the front row, exactly as she described in biography "Front Row at the White House".
She said we could meet at 7 o'clock at the Starbucks where she stayed for the White House press briefing every morning.
It was 6:35. I found Helen reading Washington Post. Another paper, The New York Times, lied on the table with a big cup of coffee.
We talked about Bush and Tony Snow, the press secretary. She talked about her favorite president, the "Watergate", Iraq, and her trips to China.
Want to know details? Learn Chinese first! And go to my chinese column at www.caijing.com.cn
"The First Lady of the Press," Helen Thomas, 87, is the former White House Bureau Chief of United Press International and now Hearst Newspapers columnist. She began her White House correspondent career in 1961 and has covered every president since Kennedy.
I met Helen at the White House press briefing and witnessed she firing questions to the spokesperson from the middle of the front row, exactly as she described in biography "Front Row at the White House".
She said we could meet at 7 o'clock at the Starbucks where she stayed for the White House press briefing every morning.
It was 6:35. I found Helen reading Washington Post. Another paper, The New York Times, lied on the table with a big cup of coffee.
We talked about Bush and Tony Snow, the press secretary. She talked about her favorite president, the "Watergate", Iraq, and her trips to China.
Want to know details? Learn Chinese first! And go to my chinese column at www.caijing.com.cn
2007年4月25日星期三
Not worth reading? NO!
The third day I came here, I finished my first story for the Inquirer. Actually it was not a story, but only a brief. However, it was my first English-language piece after many years writing in Chinese for my magazine in Beijing.Imagine how excited I was about it. But when my colleagues asked me about the story I said:
“Oh, there are only four sentences. It is not worth reading.”
My American colleagues were surprised and asked me:
“Why do you think your own story not worth reading?”
I realized I was talking in a Chinese way, which means you should always down play yourself to show your humbleness.
My colleague finally understood and told me a story about his friend in Hong Kong. This woman went to a doctor, and the doctor said:
“Madam I should first apologiz because I am such a bad doctor and the condition of the hospital is so poor……”
This woman was frightened.
My colleague said:“in the States, a doctor will introduce himself to you , beginning with I am graduated from Harvard and my hospital is the best. We never know when you guys are telling the truth.”
“Don’t worry. Truth is often behind the first sentence,” I replied.
Actually, I found being humble is not only important in Chinese culture but also in other Asian cultures.When I had my journalism training in Washington DC, I did an interview with a journalist from Bangladesh. To ask for an interview we wrote letters to the PR person separately.
The title of my letter was “interview inquiry”. His was “a humble request”.
At the same time, I also have problem figuring out whether Americans really mean that they say. No matter what we talk about, food, my working plan, my story, all the reactions I got are positive and encouraging.
“A terrific plan!”
“Good job!”
“Fabulous interview!”
“Great work!”
Am I a genius?
After being overwhelmed by so many praises，I started wondering whetherthey were telling the truth.
Americans always speak positively even they don’t really say that from the bottom of their hearts. They appreciate active attitude, my friends says. She thinks people just want to encourage me.
“Don’t say you are bad,” She warned again,”They will believe what you said. “
Ok, I guess I need down play their review too.
“I am interested in it.”means ”I am not interested in it.”
“I love it! “ means “It is ok.”
“Terrific! “ means “ Good. “
“You are great!” means “You have a good beginning.”
Today when I went into the newsroom everybody I met congratulated me for my story on Sunday newspaper.
There comes it again! I warned myself when I heard praises like terrific stories, very good work and so on. Is it really that good?
Finally I believe they really like it when they told me to make the Sunday frontpage a story has to be trulyy competitive.
A sentence was at the tip of my tongue, like I did so many times in China:“I did verylittle for the story. I don’t deserve it.”
But this time I swallowed the words and said:"Thank you."
“Oh, there are only four sentences. It is not worth reading.”
My American colleagues were surprised and asked me:
“Why do you think your own story not worth reading?”
I realized I was talking in a Chinese way, which means you should always down play yourself to show your humbleness.
My colleague finally understood and told me a story about his friend in Hong Kong. This woman went to a doctor, and the doctor said:
“Madam I should first apologiz because I am such a bad doctor and the condition of the hospital is so poor……”
This woman was frightened.
My colleague said:“in the States, a doctor will introduce himself to you , beginning with I am graduated from Harvard and my hospital is the best. We never know when you guys are telling the truth.”
“Don’t worry. Truth is often behind the first sentence,” I replied.
Actually, I found being humble is not only important in Chinese culture but also in other Asian cultures.When I had my journalism training in Washington DC, I did an interview with a journalist from Bangladesh. To ask for an interview we wrote letters to the PR person separately.
The title of my letter was “interview inquiry”. His was “a humble request”.
At the same time, I also have problem figuring out whether Americans really mean that they say. No matter what we talk about, food, my working plan, my story, all the reactions I got are positive and encouraging.
“A terrific plan!”
“Good job!”
“Fabulous interview!”
“Great work!”
Am I a genius?
After being overwhelmed by so many praises，I started wondering whetherthey were telling the truth.
Americans always speak positively even they don’t really say that from the bottom of their hearts. They appreciate active attitude, my friends says. She thinks people just want to encourage me.
“Don’t say you are bad,” She warned again,”They will believe what you said. “
Ok, I guess I need down play their review too.
“I am interested in it.”means ”I am not interested in it.”
“I love it! “ means “It is ok.”
“Terrific! “ means “ Good. “
“You are great!” means “You have a good beginning.”
Today when I went into the newsroom everybody I met congratulated me for my story on Sunday newspaper.
There comes it again! I warned myself when I heard praises like terrific stories, very good work and so on. Is it really that good?
Finally I believe they really like it when they told me to make the Sunday frontpage a story has to be trulyy competitive.
A sentence was at the tip of my tongue, like I did so many times in China:“I did verylittle for the story. I don’t deserve it.”
But this time I swallowed the words and said:"Thank you."
Introduction
The tale of two cities began in 1973, when the Philadelphia Orchestra visited Beijing, an ice-breaking journey finally developed into a three- decade engaging relations.
The tale of two cultures begins in 2007. It tells of the five-month adventure of me, Lou Yi. It is as ambitious yet much more personal as the orchestra's relationship.
As a reporter from Cajing Magazine, a leading Beijing business publication, I am working on a fellowship as a fresh Philadelphia Inquirer journalist. I spent a year in Washington D.C. in 2004-2005 as Caijing's first correspondent in the United States, so I do not expect any culture shock here. But I expect to be shocked somewhere, some time by something. As they say, the devil is in the detail.
I come, I see, I write. Stay tuned. And visit often.
The tale of two cultures begins in 2007. It tells of the five-month adventure of me, Lou Yi. It is as ambitious yet much more personal as the orchestra's relationship.
As a reporter from Cajing Magazine, a leading Beijing business publication, I am working on a fellowship as a fresh Philadelphia Inquirer journalist. I spent a year in Washington D.C. in 2004-2005 as Caijing's first correspondent in the United States, so I do not expect any culture shock here. But I expect to be shocked somewhere, some time by something. As they say, the devil is in the detail.
I come, I see, I write. Stay tuned. And visit often.
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