Unraveling the Tapestry of Journalistic Writing Proficiency of Chinese Student

Abstract

This research examines the journalistic writing competence of Chinese students in journalism programs highlighting correctness, clarity, conciseness, objectivity, ethical concerns, and fact-checking. It also investigates the socio-cultural, educational, and linguistic elements affective student’s writing abilities and how they forecast writing ability. Data were collected using a mixed-methods approach, comprising student tests and interviews with journalism educators, to ascertain the principal hurdles students have in cultivating writing proficiency. Based on the examination of the student tests and interviews, it was discovered that students recognize deficiencies in correctness, obtaining external validation for neutrality and ethics, and achieving acknowledgment for fact-checking endeavors. Socio-cultural factors such as self-censorship and political sensitivities have the most significant impact on their writing proficiency. The study suggested there is a need for enforcing students’ language skills and exposure to authentic journalism techniques, self-censorship, a test-centric educational framework, and addressing the obstacles in conforming to international media norms.