Selected Works of Mao Zedong on Journalism

A thematic collection of writings by Mao Zedong on the theory and practice of journalism. It was edited by the Party Literature Research Office of the CPC Central Committee and Xinhua News Agency and published by Xinhua Press in 1983, with 250,000 words.

The Selected Works of Mao Zedong on Journalism includes 123 writings on journalism and publicity for public opinion from December 1925 to September 1965. It is divided into three parts: discourses, articles, and rewritings. The Discourses section includes 71 treatises, speeches, conversations, criticisms, remarks, telegrams and letters by Mao Zedong on journalism, most of which were printed from manuscripts that were preserved in the Central Archives and published publicly for the first time. The Articles section includes 28 press releases, including editorials, news, commentaries, reviews, speeches, radio speeches, interview notes, editor's notes, etc.; the Rewritings section includes 24 revisions of press releases. Although the 52 writings of these two parts were already published, the majority of readers previously did not know that Mao had written or revised them. Plus, the 20 handwritings of Mao Zedong attached to the book were for the first time published from the collections of the Central Archives.

Mao Zedong was the pioneer, organizer and leader of the Chinese proletarian press. From the period of the May Fourth Movement, he always took journalism as a tool and weapon to guide the revolutionary struggle, cared about the development of the Party journalism, and highly emphasized the Party principle of journalism. During the various revolutionary periods, he gave incisive instructions and important talks on journalism according to the situation and tasks of the time; he also wrote a large number of editorials, reviews and news for newspapers, news agencies and radio stations, and carefully revised many important drafts. His practical activities developed journalism theory, accumulated rich experience, and laid the foundation for the establishment of socialist journalism with Chinese characteristics.

The Selected Works of Mao Zedong on Journalism is a collection of some of Mao Zedong's writings on journalism theory, which basically reflects the essentials of his journalism theory. Its contents include: the nature, tasks and roles of proletarian press, radios and news agencies; the Party principle of proletarian journalism; the insistence on seeking truth from facts, starting from reality, speaking the truth and propagating the truth; the insistence on the mass line, contacting the masses, reflecting the masses, serving the people wholeheartedly; the practice of going deep into reality and investigating and researching; the whole Party running the press and the masses running the press; the criticism and self-criticism in the press; the need for the press to have a sharp and vivid, clear-cut fighting style and the way of writing with Chinese style and Chinese temperament; the construction of a working-class grand, red and professional press team; the requirements that the Party committee should constantly strengthen and improve the leadership of the press, pay attention to the use of newspapers, radios, news agencies to guide the work, etc. These views were gradually formed by Mao Zedong in the process of applying the principles of Marxism to analyze and answer the practical problems of the CPC's press work. They are a summary and conclusion of the CPC's press work experience.

The "Selected Works of Mao Zedong on Journalism" completely embodies Mao Zedong's journalistic thought and practical journalistic activities and reflects from one side the rigorous attitude and serious and responsible spirit of Mao Zedong engaged in revolutionary publicity and public opinion journalistic work.