Photo: IC

While it has become increasingly popular to say that "newspapers are dying," some traditional Chinese media outlets have become increasingly active in utilizing China's exploding social media to maintain and even expand their influence.

Two public accounts on mobile social messaging app WeChat operated by People's Daily Overseas Edition (PDOE) have slowly gained huge fan base, becoming a daily read among many online users interested in China's political news.

Each account has their unique points. "Xiake Island," literally meaning "knight's island," provides in-depth analysis for decoding China's latest political news. "Xuexixiaozu," which translates as "study group" offers updates and analysis on top leader Xi Jinping's latest speeches and trips.

In less than a year since their establishment last February, both accounts have built up about 400,000 subscribers, with each post garnering tens of thousands of hits.

Shifting focus

"It is the result of both our young journalists' initiative and management's strategic vision," Wang Yongfu, deputy editor-in-chief of PDOE, told the Global Times.

People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC), is undergoing a major transition from traditional print to social media platforms as part of an effort of reaching younger audiences.

Whether it is adopting a more casual and conversational tone or using Internet slang, writers for the two accounts are eager to overhaul the image of the 30-year old newspaper as a more approachable alternative to the usually serious and formulaic style of political news articles.

"We are a team of five young reporters who are constantly discussing current issues in our WeChat group. This is our interest and often we discover new topics to write about after brainstorming in the group chat," Situ Gezi, one of the writers, told the Global Times.

Situ and his team members, also reporters for the PDOE, use their spare time after work to finish the articles for the two WeChat accounts.

"It is mainly the five of us who are responsible for selecting the topics and writing the articles. Sometimes we also invite analysts as guest writers," said Situ.

"Each of us has a pen name and adopts a different writing style. For example, I use humorous and casual language when writing news commentary on the most talked about news of the week for my column in 'Xiake Island,' but I use a more serious tone for other articles," he said. 

Insiders' insights

Getting a rare glimpse into the little known details of top leader Xi's life is one of the most important reasons for the popularity of the "study group" account.

Earlier in January, the account released a series of five posts chronicling Xi's rise to power from humble beginnings, including little-known details.

In another post in last September, the account provided an exclusive close-up on Xi's state visit to Tajikistan, including a private dinner shared between him and the President of Tajikistan Emomalii Rahmon.

"The two accounts get strong support from related officials. This has reflected that the central leadership's willingness to open themselves to the public," said Wang. "But we also remind the young writers not to forget our position as the Party's flagship paper, and to make sure that our stance is correct."

"We [the editors] let our writers experiment with their writing style and topic selection, but sometimes we will also participate in the discussion when choosing sensitive topics like Xi's diplomatic visits and the change of leadership in some provinces," Wang continued.

Reliable read

According to the team, the two accounts have developed a wide readership base among government officials, corporate leaders, and university students from across China and even overseas.

"Our readers are exceptionally active in giving us feedback. Sometimes we receive thousands of comments from them on a single post," said Situ.

It is not easy to stand out in China's exploding social media scene, where the total public WeChat accounts have surpassed 5.8 million, with 15,000 new ones added every day.

Some of the accounts attract readers using sensational but false information about the CPC or the nation's history. Last fall, the Xinhua News Agency said that China's cyberspace watchdog had closed nearly 1.8 million social networking and instant messaging accounts since launching an anti-pornography campaign earlier in the year.

Some of the other offenses listed by the Cyberspace Administration of China include publishing fake information under the guise of the government or media, and publishing information related to gambling or fraud.

Last August, China issued new rules for social media users, stipulating that those who want to post political news must obtain prior approval, and requiring anyone who uses instant messaging tools to register with his or her real name.

Contrary to public belief, traditional media outlets still have a unique edge in winning support and trust on new and emerging platforms, experts said.

"While cyberspace continues to expand rapidly, people still want to get the news from reliable and convincing sources. We the traditional media have the advantage in our existing resources and talent, which make us the authoritative source on politically sensitive stories," Wang noted.

Wang's viewpoints are echoed by Tan Tian, a professor at Jinan University, who told the Global Times that more traditional media will follow the path of the People's Daily in transitioning to new media, creating a larger space for discussion and interaction.
Newspaper headline: Old dog, new tricks