Movie stills from “The God of Cookery”. 1

In 1993, CCTV was planning to launch a public opinion supervision program. “It was initially decided to be named ‘Reporter’s Perspective’,” but later, it was notified that it would “not be called ‘Reporter’s Perspective’, but ‘Focus Interview’.” “This initiative came from relevant leaders,” said Sun Yusheng, who later became the deputy director of CCTV and one of the founders of “Focus Interview”.

Yang Weiguang, then the director of CCTV, later said in an article that the central leaders at the time proposed that the news media should focus on hot topics. In order to run this focus program well, Ding Guangen, then the Minister of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, held three symposiums for this purpose. He proposed that the guiding ideology of “Focus Interview” was: to adhere to the combination of positive reporting and critical reporting, and both types of reporting should be conducive to unity, stability, and encouragement. The first episode of “Focus Interview” was broadcast on April 1, 1994, and is about to celebrate its thirtieth birthday. In the long time, successive premiers of the State Council have interacted with the program in various forms.

Picture from the WeChat public account “Haiyuncang Neican”. On December 29, 1997, Li Peng, then Premier of the State Council, inspected CCTV and held a symposium with the editors, directors, and hosts of “Focus Interview”. Jing Yidan mentioned in her memoir that Li Peng left an inscription for “Focus Interview”: Focus Interview, praise the advanced, criticize the backward, uphold justice. The program team presented Li Peng with a microphone with the “Focus Interview” logo.

Picture from the WeChat public account “Haiyuncang Neican”. On October 7, 1998, Zhu Rongji, then Premier of the State Council, held a symposium with the staff of “Focus Interview”. The original plan was for an hour and a half, but it turned out to be more than three hours. After the symposium, Zhu Rongji wrote 16 big characters for “Focus Interview”: “Public opinion supervision, the mouthpiece of the masses, the mirror of the government, the vanguard of reform.” He said that these were the words he had thought about for a long time the night before. According to the staff of “Focus Interview”, Zhu Rongji had directly participated in the review of the content of “Focus Interview”. At that time, there was a program on macroeconomic regulation, and Yang Weiguang, then the director of CCTV, felt that he could not grasp it well, so he sent the program to Zhu Rongji for personal review, and Zhu Rongji did not change a single word. Zhu Rongji also repeatedly assigned “topic compositions” to “Focus Interview”: smuggling and tax evasion, the unhealthy trend of selling state-owned enterprises, the problem of grain…

Picture from the WeChat public account “Haiyuncang Neican”.

In August 2003, Wen Jiabao, who had been the premier for five months, came to the “Focus Interview” studio. He gave the program team a message: “Walk with the people, be with the motherland, be in sync with the world, and advance with the times.” He encouraged the host Jing Yidan, saying that the State Council had dedicated personnel to collect and sort out the problems raised by public opinion supervision and urge them to be resolved.

In 2015, on April 17, “Focus Interview” reported that some grain depots and grain merchants in Liaoning, Jilin and other places colluded with each other, used old grain to replace new grain, and maliciously obtained subsidies for price differences. On April 22, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council made instructions on this, requiring that the “world’s granary” be effectively guarded and managed. 2

Under the new era conditions, the responsibilities and missions of the Party’s news and public opinion work are to hold high the banner, guide the direction, focus on the center, serve the overall situation, unite the people, inspire morale, influence people with culture, unite the hearts and minds, clarify errors, distinguish right from wrong, connect China and foreign countries, and communicate with the world.

Clarifying errors and distinguishing right from wrong means daring to touch upon contradictions, daring to confront and show one’s sword, and persuading people with the power of truth.

Adhering to positive propaganda also involves how to view the issue of “being a good person, being a Dongguo gentleman, and being an enlightened gentleman”. For example, some Party members and cadres still avoid major issues of right and wrong. Sometimes, online discussions are in full swing, and various misinterpretations have spread widely, but the response from relevant departments is slow to come out, half-covered, or even not coming out at all, not half-covered but completely covered. For this reason, comrades in the propaganda and ideological front should be fighters, not gentlemen, not “fence-sitters” and “wind-watchers”, and cannot engage in the set of cherishing feathers, but should fulfill their sacred duties and glorious missions.

“Public opinion supervision and positive propaganda are unified, not opposed.” We must grasp the balance as a whole. News media should face the problems that exist in our work, face the social ugliness and dark side, and clear the turbid and promote the clear, and criticize the current malpractices. For the problems that the people are concerned about and the problems that have a lot of opinions and reflections, we should actively pay attention to and report, promptly dispel doubts and explain confusion, guide psychological expectations, and promote the improvement of work. 3 Lu Peng, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of Shandong Radio and Television Station, said the following words in public –

Doing cross-provincial public opinion supervision has become a laughing stock for others.

Not doing cross-provincial public opinion supervision has become an achievement to show off to others. It is obvious that as a senior leading cadre of the propaganda system, Director Lu has not studied and understood the spirit of the relevant documents deeply enough, and has not internalized it. In such an important occasion, he made such remarks, which is not just a case of paying lip service, but a blatant attempt to sabotage. A friendly reminder, Director Lu, your thinking is very dangerous.

Picture from the WeChat public account “Basic Common Sense”.

Will Director Lu and Flash News correct their mistakes? As a public account operator who is keen on curing diseases and saving people, Mr. T, the pork seller, decided to conduct public opinion supervision of Director Lu and Flash News from now on – still cross-provincial public opinion supervision.

Mr. T wants to see if Director Lu and Flash News can stubbornly resist and resolutely not do cross-provincial public opinion supervision. If they do, how much have they done and what is the effect? And, do they do local public opinion supervision, and if they do, how well do they do it? What Mr. T wants to say at the end is –

Please Director Lu pay attention to maintaining emotional stability References January 16, 2024 Public account “Basic Common Sense” “The TV station director who treats public opinion supervision as a joke, has also become a joke” August 30, 2023 Study Times “Selected Readings of Works丨Reading “Adhere to the Correct Political Direction of the Party’s News and Public Opinion Work” October 12, 2018 Discipline Inspection Commission of Nanjing University of Information Engineering “Premier Zhu’s 4 exceptions of calligraphy “inscription”: This is the personality charm that penetrates the paper!” April 27, 2015 Haiyuncang Neican “How the Premier Evaluates <Focus Interview>” September 22, 2014 Phoenix News

“He changed the habit of Chinese people watching TV丨Phoenix Knows” Add WeChat friends forever: 13078857948

Click the box below to follow This account’s public data This account’s deleted articles: 32

Change in the number of fans in January: +175 people

Still 990,000+ people away from becoming a million-follower account Still 98+ years away from becoming a century-old account Sprinkle money to support the pork seller’s public opinion supervision

Swipe to continue watching the next one

I decided to conduct public opinion supervision of Flash News from now on