My Professional Diary

My diary:
What I did last month:

For the printed paper:
I published one story about the repainting of Chinatown Gate, one story about a chinese' death, one opinion about smoking in China, helped other reporters to interview illegal immigrant and mayor election. Another story I worked on was about chinese takeout restaurants but Julie and I decided it was not a good timing to write the story. I am now preparing for my next story on town watch and also doing some research for the business desk.

For the website:
I finished my first video for the Philly.com, including video taping and editing.

I began to update my blog and market it every day after I found it was the least popular blog in the Inquirer. Now it is updated everyday and full of videos and pictures. The newest one is about Jeff Gammage’s daughter playing Chinese traditional children’s Kong Fu.

I am so lucky that Paula and Karl, editors at the national and international desk, sometimes volunteer to edit my blogs. Karl now moves to business desk. I miss him!

I am now working on my another news video on town watch

For the Caijing Magazine:
I began to write my column named observing American media. The first story is about pigs fly. The second is about Bill Marimow——an excellent journalist in front of challenges

For my personal research project——transition of the American printed media

I interviewed Andy Maykuth, Bill Marimow, Vernon Loeb, Dan Biddle, Bob Moron and Brian Tierney and video taped them at the same time. I will shoot Jennifer Lin video taping Rick (the food editor) next Tuesday. I will write stories for my column and make a video for AFPF and Chinese reporters. Some of them are very interesting, such as Brian playing a flying pig toy. I hope to interview people from the online desk and Philly.com next month.

I also set up interviews with the Executive editor of the WashingtonPost.com and Sabrina, our AFPF fellow. See you, dear Sabrina!!!

I may stay a day with the online desk of Men’s Health in July. Are journalists of the magazine as handsome as the men on their covers? I will find it in July.

I am still working to contact people from the printed side and online desk of the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NY times (since they are leaders in the transition and also convenient for me to interview)and some magazines like Time, Business Week or others.

It is not easy. I can stop Bill in the corridor of the news room or knock the door of Venon for interview but I have to send a lot of letters and looking for people who can introduce me to the editors in other newspapers. So any suggestion or help is welcomed!!!!

What I learned:
First, I learned that Caijing magazine and myself are working on the world- class professional standard. Things I am doing here are not very different from what I do in China. We have the same standards on ethics, accuracy and in-depth story. We have the same aim for excellent stories and try our best to beat our competitors.

We have the same crazy editors who send their reporters to people’s house at 10 pm. We also have the same patient editors who let you sitting beside them and take part in the editting process. Thank you Julie!

But one thing still surprised me. I am famous in my newsroom for accuracy and being impartial and I am proud of it. However, I was asked to write an opinion on smoking here when they found I have a strong feeling on tobacco control. Though my opinion is more like a story, I learned how important it is for journalists to maintain and show impartial attitude.

I also learned the harsh challenges and huge potential the Internet brought to American journalists by talking with people. I learned how to adapt to the online news by writing blog and making video by myself. Blog is good for me to practice English writing but too time consuming. Making video is exiting but sometimes frustrating. My poor small laptop crashed for 30 times when I edited my first video. I felt so bad that I cried. And then I know it is not my fault. Video editing needs powerful computer with large memory.

The fourth thing I learned is how to inhance journalists’ moral:
A an easy going editor who always open the door of his office, often walks around the news room to talk with journalists, frequently sends letters to praise journalists for their excellent stories(by the way, our editor’s trademark expression is “you are a genius”), and accepts interview inquiry from an AFPF fellow who stopped him on the corridor of the newsroom.
B an monthly award to the best reporter in this month
C emails reporting big news of reporters’ families

The fifth thing I learned is how to effectively and efficiently manage the newsroom by sign on or sign off emails. The content of these emails includes who take what job at what time. These emails are not only working record but also a promise to the whole news room. I like this idea.

The sixth thing I learned is the culture difference between the Americans and the Chinese. Though both two nations believe in independence and helping each other, Chinese would rather help others before they ask for. In Chinese' view, one should wait for help from others, and one who ask for help is regarded as a beggar. However, in the States, people don’t help until you ask them because they need to first respect your independence. But the culture difference is not a trouble to me since a reporter always has to ask.

The last but by no means the least important thing I learned is I am cool. Before I went to the States, I talked with some alumni and read all the letters from AFPF alumni. I noticed that there would be bitter frustration generated by failures, culture shock, and being ignored in the newsroom both in the States and back to their home countries.

I always learn from failures and do not expect huge culture shock since I have already worked for one year in Washington D.C. But I cannot stand being totally ignored. That is also one of the reasons that I designed such a training plan. Now I keep myself busy and learn much.