When is something newsworthy?

In early January, writer and educator Wu Fei put up a blog post discussing how reporters pick news stories. Last week’s Southern Weekly republished it in the op-ed section, minus the first paragraph, which perhaps seemed a bit too much in light of the Lan Chengzhang killing.

Because I had written an article titled “Future Popular Professions,” young people mistakenly thought that I was a career guidance person, and they asked me for direction. I talked about how a news reporters was great thing to be: don’t listen to everyone’s BS and think that being a journalist is dangerous as hell, that after you’ve written a report on something, there’ll be people waiting in an alley to cap you when you get off work at night, or when you’re going out with your wife, you get in the car and it blows up with a bang….nothing like that; being a reporter is safe.

Some things aren’t news. Kid, see across the road where they’re demolishing that buildings? Seven stories, not 20 years old, still strong as anything. I’d have thought they’d use controlled demolition; never imagined they’d take it apart by hand, hire a bunch of laborers, swinging at it with sledgehammers. It’s cheaper that way, apparently. Yes, if it was controlled demolition, then the demolition company makes money and the foreman’s take drops. And what will all those workers do for food? They’ve got babies at home waiting for school tuition.

The next one isn’t news, either. Kid, do you see it? Those workers swinging sledgehammers on the building — some are jumping about right on top of the crumbling walls, but not one is wearing a safety harness! If one was to fall, he’d be injured if not killed. Why are they so unafraid of death? Why doesn’t the foreman force them to wear safety harnesses? Why don’t the parties involved pay attention to the safety of the workers? Many people pass by this work site every day; how many people are thinking about this problem?

—— of course, none of this is news, either.

It’s 5:30 in the afternoon and the school along the road has let out. Kid, can you see how this wide road has been totally stopped up with cars? Look carefully — these are all cars come to pick up students, with all kinds of plates. This isn’t special, it’s not news. Do you see it? Most of the cars are parked illegally, and none of them are using good driving habits. Look, those dozen cars over there have gone up into the bicycle lane — how dangerous! The parents only have eyes for their own children — no sense of social morality and no thought for the safety of other students. Kid, you’re apathetic perhaps because you think that none of this matters.

The above isn’t news.

What follows might be news.

If — note, “if” — one day, the building across the street that’s being demolished suddenly collapses and several workers are crushed under it — perish the thought — reporters from all over will hurry to the scene, firefighters will come charging over, military police will come running, emergency rescue will come, and onlookers will number in thousands….most important is that the mayor and the municipal party secretary will come, the provincial governor and provincial party secretary will immediately issue instructions, and even the central government leadership will immediately issue instructions to spare no expense during the rescue….investigate the cause of the accident, take care of redress, and deal severely with the persons responsible for the accident….the relevant parties will reiterate this….

One day, a parent will be in a car to pick up a kid from school and the car will suddenly go out of control, striking and killing several students, or a stuck car will burst into flames and burn a group of students — perish the thought — reporters from all over will hurry to the scene, firefighters will come charging over, military police will come, emergency rescue will come, and onlookers will number in thousands….most important is that the mayor and the municipal party secretary will come, the provincial governor and provincial party secretary will immediately issue instructions, and even the central government leadership will immediately issue instructions to spare no expense during the rescue….investigate the cause of the accident, take care of redress, and deal severely with the persons responsible for the accident….the relevant parties will reiterate this….

If you become a reporter, then you could spend your days working like this. If you write a report saying that laborers who do not wear safety harnesses should not be allowed to work heights, or that the transportation department should install cameras in the area around schools, not only will no one pay any attention to you, but you might even get people thinking that you are out to cause trouble; rob the masses of their enjoyment of the news, and papers have no selling point.

News is always waited out. To elaborate, it’s waiting for people to make mistakes; if we go seeking out trouble and make preparations beforehand, if we resist scrambling about chasing news and are only willing to put effort into avoiding catastrophe, then we’re really not up with the times.