by Xinhua writer Tian Ying
BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ruslan, 7, lost his mother and sister when terrorists held a school full of children hostage in Beslan, Russia, in 2004.
He has been receiving treatment for his trauma in China and not long ago, by his mother's grave, he released a white balloon with a note attached: "Mom, I no longer feel afraid."
Li Congjun, president of China's Xinhua News Agency, recalled the incident in a speech delivered on Universal Children's Day Friday.
"When I learned of the incident, I was full of grief and indignation. As the head of a news media organization, I often ask myself the question: what can the media do for the child?"
On Friday, Xinhua and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) co-sponsored Global News Day for Children, a media campaign to mark the Universal Children's Day on Nov. 20.
Eight hundred media organizations worldwide have joined Xinhua in covering stories of children and their lives all over the world.
One story about a 13-year-old Kenyan boy, Shamallah, recounted how he suffered discrimination and risked being boiled alive by superstitious villagers, because he was albine.
Afghan girl, Farida, who aspired to be a teacher so that all Afghans one day be able to read and write featured in another story.
The tale of 10-year-old Bangladesh boy, Akkas Akhter, showed how he toiled 15 hours a day in a factory, to contribute a small sum of money to his family.
Dale Rutstein, chief of communication of UNICEF China, said, "Xinhua has set great example of the role mass media needs to play in calling people of the world to greater and more urgent actions to protect children from exploitation, poverty and hunger."
Xinhua vice president Zhou Xisheng said, "The role mass media needs to play is taking social responsibility, which is also what we want to emphasize in this campaign."
Zhou Yong, Renmin University professor in mass communication, said the Chinese media had opened up and were taking greater social responsibility.
He said the process involved shifting from popularizing ideologies to producing more and timely news, and widening their horizon to the entire world.
There was a time when Chinese media kept silent on so-called "dark news," such as disasters, epidemics, and social unrest.
But issues such as mine accidents, the melamine contamination of milk powder, and the ongoing A/H1N1 influenza pandemic are making headlines in mainstream and new media.
"Such progress has mirrored changes in the social mindset," said He Dongping, deputy editor-in-chief of Guangming Daily national newspaper.
Since China launched the reform and opening up policy in 1978, the concept of "freeing the mind," as espoused by then top leader Deng Xiaoping, has changed the way decision-makers and common people think.
The government has opened up to the media. In 2004, governments at central and local levels nominated spokespersons. In 2009 after the Urumqi riot, the government allowed foreign reporters in to cover the event.
The number of foreign resident correspondents in China has soared from 90 in the early 1980s to more than 700, and another 3,000 to 5,000 foreign journalists travel to China each year. The number hit 20,000 during the Beijing Olympic Games.
Zhou Yong also attributed opening up to the thriving new media. "Internet media have more often played the role of watchdog in issues with a direct bearing on people's interests," he said. "If the mainstream media shy away from such responsibility, they could be marginalized."
A typical example of media acting as watchdog was the coverage of labor abuse in brick-making sweatshops in the central Shanxi Province.
In 2007, Henan Provincial TV journalists braved death threats and obstructions by officials and police to reveal the sweatshops where trafficked farmers were coerced and tortured.
But the local government made no public response until 16 days after the program was aired when the report was posted on the website www.dahe.cn. The post soon whipped up public outrage and registered 310,000 views. The same post on www.tianya.cn saw 580,000 views.
It soon prompted action to rescue workers and prosecute those responsible, resignations of local officials, and attention from central government leaders.
"In the future, we'll see more such cases where mainstream and new media work together to shoulder social responsibility," said Zhou.
Another factor driving the media's opening up is their eagerness to have voices heard in the international arena.
In early October, Xinhua co-sponsored the first-ever World Media Summit in Beijing with eight other major media organizations across the world. The summit was attended by representatives from more than 100 foreign and 40 domestic media organizations.
For the Global News Day for Children, Xinhua mobilized all its domestic and overseas bureaus to cover the well-being of children all over the world, especially the under-privileged.
Zhou Yong said, "It's an example of Chinese media setting the agenda to promote the public interest, and this time, the common interest of the entire human race."
Official Website of Global News Day for Children
Special report: Global News Day for Children
Chinese-version report on state of children issued on Universal Children's Day
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United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) China Officer-in-Charge and Chief of Social Policy and Economic Analysis Hana Brixi (3rd L) and Xinhua News Agency Vice-President Zhou Xisheng (3rd R) unveil the State of the the World's Children Report (Chinese-Edition), during the launch ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 20, 2009. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)
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BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Xinhua News Agency Friday launched in Beijing the Chinese-version Report on the State of World's Children to mark the Universal Children's Day and the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The launch was also part of Friday's Global News Day for Children aiming at raising public awareness on children's living environments and their development. Full story
World media launch 24-hour global broadcast on Universal Children's Day
BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Major media organizations in the world have launched a 24-hour relay broadcast for children's rights on Universal Children's Day, which falls on Friday. The global media campaign, also called the "Global News Day for Children" program, was initiated by Xinhua News Agency and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to highlight the international media's role in helping improve children's living environments and promoting their healthy development.
Starting from 8 a.m. (Beijing time) Friday, Xinhua has been working with all participating media organizations in launching 16hours of Chinese-language coverage and eight hours of English-language coverage of education, culture, globalization, environment protection, disability, sport, charity, conflict, and traditions that are closely connected to children's lives and development. Full story
Xinhua News Agency, UNICEF sign MOU in Beijing
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Xinhua News Agency Vice President Zhou Xisheng (L, front) shakes hands with Dr. Yin Yin Wei (R, front), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative in China after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Beijing, capital of China, on Nov. 5, 2009. A large-scale global media campaign for children' rights co-sponsored by Xinhua News Agency and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was launched here Thursday in the run-up to Universal Children's Day, which falls on Nov. 20, in advance of a planned 24-hour global live multimedia coverage of events on the day. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
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Xinhua, UNICEF unveil logo, website for "Global News Day for Children"
BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Xinhua News Agency and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Monday unveiled the logo for "Global News Day for Children" and launched an official website for the event.
"Global News Day for Children" is a global media campaign co-sponsored by Xinhua News Agency and the UNICEF, to mark the Universal Children's Day which falls on November 20th. Full story
UN chief sends message for well-being of children worldwide
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday sent a message for the well-being of children across the world as the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Children's Day draw near.
The message, written and signed by the UN secretary-general in English and Chinese, reads:" Children are our future. We must work for health, education, equality and protection for every child in the world." Full story
