my professional diary

Last two weeks I was very busy. The first week I went to New York with Aresu for a Study trip. The second week I finally finished my story on community banks.
The trip was productive and enjoyable. We spent a pleasant night with Stephen Baldwin , a member of the big friendly family who choose me as the 2007 Baldwin fellow. We enjoyed the best Indian food I have ever had. He shared with us his experience in different countries across the world. We also agreed with the idea that press is too powerful.
The next day we had a brief interview in Wall Street Journal, a wonderful talk with Jonathan Landman, the deputy managing editor at NY Times at their brand new building, a fantastic tour at Bloomberg.
The third day we went to JP Morgan. We talk with a researcher there and visited the trading room that generates huge money everyday.
It took me pretty long time to finish the bank story. It was a little bit harder than the work at the city desk. I had to take more initiative to get assignment and also write a more complicated story. But I love it. Because it is the first story that reminds me of the work at Caijing in China.
Most of work I have done here is very easy. But reporting banks makes me nervous, which is exactly what I need. I need pressure to be more productive so I can learn more.
Besides I finished the list of books that I will buy for my newsroom. I send letters to my colleagues and asked them to give me the name, link, price of the books they want and the reason why they need them. After our editor in chief approved the list I sent it to Katie. And then I realized that I asked them in the way that Susan asked me!
I learned a lot here not only from working but also from observing how people are working in newspaper, community, government and organizations.
For example, I didn’t like to write training plan or essay or diaries. As a journalist, I like freedom more than discipline. But I realize these “boring papers” force me to reflect and help me to set up my own agenda which is the key to the success of a program like AFPF.
Why?
Because the American newspaper industry is changing now. If you don’t set up your own agenda no one will set up one for you. Taking initiative to get more bylines is not enough. As professional journalists, we would get bored after writing many stories for several months. If we don’t know what to do next, we would be in the bad mood, homesicking, regretting for working too hard and having less fun.
Before I went to the States, my number one goal is to show a good journalist who reports in her own language can also be productive in an English newspaper. I want to show it to both my colleagues in China and also people in the States so that more journalists like me can have the great opportunity to learn the world which would finally benefits Chinese readers and Chinese society. If all the fellows are from English newspapers or international desks, what they learn may only benefit a very small group of readers in their countries.
So I have to be productive and I know I will absolutely learn something. At least I can learn how to talk and write in English. To my surprise, I learn far more than that.
Tomorrow I will transfer to online desk. I hope I can learn the operation of the online desk and make more video. I will continue my column “Observe the American newspaper industry” at Caijing.com. The column will continue after I am back to China since I have interviewed so many people here and have so many interesting stories to tell.
My mood is still very good not only because I am busy but also because the Inquirer provides a warm environment. I have many friends. Every weekend I am invited by some friends for B.B.Q, game, video shooting or other activities.
After a tour in New York, I have to say that the newsroom of the Inquirer may not be the most fantastic one. But it is the most informal one.