The best time

I was forced to listened the Forster-Foreman Conference last year for one of my class, back then I hadn’t have that strong and exciting feelings that like a whole zoo erupts in my heart like I did when I sat at the Conference of Distinguished Writers this year. It was encouragingly good for most of people; and for me, emotionally touched. To be honest, not that I didn’t worried about the journalism profession: it has been researched that journalism is only trusted by 25% of the people in that sample, ironically. Regarding that it’s a job that informs, guides, evokes and even enlightens people. The function of journalism faints especially in China. “We don’t believe it, we don’t report it.” That’s how Dean Baquet said during the speech and I was consoled by it. I was again, felt that strong superiority of being a journalism major student. After his speech, I saw myself as a craftsman in progress. “Take the job that will let you know something you didn’t know before, or just geographically take you to someplace you’ve never been.” This so goes into my “motto list”. I used to see journalism more as strength: to create a heat topic or to change a terrible situation. According to Baquet, the most important thing is that journalism teaches me and will notify me in my future life for tons of things I would never know. And I have to admit, that’s the most captivating reason for taking one job. It’s reasonable that Baquet described his 40 years profession “the best time I’ve never have”. Last but not least, being a non-native speaker to survive in journalism profession is hard. I got concerns of all aspects: language problems, the limitation issue of Chinese journalism. (As the last student question posted on the conference) When Baquet reply to that question about how we process our essences of journalism when in a region where this rules don’t apply, I did not expect any meaningful answers from him because it’s complicated. That’s when it hit me when I heard him saying, “you’ve already learned the possibilities.” Suddenly I felt that I’m so shallow to have doubts on what I’m learning. I’m sure there is always hope to get me to the things I longed to achieve. Always hold that hope and possibilities. A great speech fills with moments that you want to stand up dramatically and say with tears, “that’s what I’m thinking!” It’s exactly what I have experienced in the conference hall that day.