January 1919 was definitely a tragic month for the press and publishing industry of the Republic of China, which was once in full bloom.
If we look back in hindsight, the two months at the end of 1918, which were full of impetuousness and violence, were the final madness of those tabloid newspapers.
It was precisely because of those two months of national carnival that it sounded the death knell for the press and publishing industry in the Republic of China.
What is a tabloid? Compared with The Times in the United Kingdom, Le Figaro in France, and the New York Times in the United States, any newspaper that does not have national circulation is a tabloid.
If you count it this way, all newspapers in the Republic of China are tabloids.
At the end of January, a newspaper called Daily News was quietly launched in Tianjin's French Concession. The circulation of the first issue reached 100,000 copies on the first day.
One hundred thousand copies
Everyone who hears this news will be shocked, especially former media people, because just a month ago, the total daily sales of all newspapers in Beijing did not reach 50,000 copies.
The reason why the sales are so terrifying is actually very simple. This daily newspaper is not bought at all, but given away, and this free gift will last for a month.
free gift
This will make it difficult for small newspapers that rely on selling newspapers to recoup their costs and then make a profit.
Not to mention that newspapers rely on advertising to make money, if your newspaper has no sales, no one will advertise in it.
Not all newspapers rely on selling newspapers to survive. Some newspapers still have additional income, such as financial aid from unknown sources, so those newspapers still have the ability to persist for a period of time.
Since money is no longer an issue, what matters now is the content.
Even if it is both a gift, taking it home and reading it carefully has completely different effects than taking it home and putting it in the toilet as toilet paper.
So at this time, many people were surprised to find that the Daily News actually had 16 large-scale reporter stations across the country, employing more than 200 professional journalists. Moreover, the Daily News also had branches in many overseas countries, and the Times of the United Kingdom
Le Figaro in France and the New York Times in the United States have a cooperative relationship. They share resources with each other and can exchange information. In many cases, a piece of news can be published in several newspapers on the same day.
At the same time, the Daily News is not just born, but has been published for a while. In Lanfang, Corsica, France, and even the United States, the Daily News already has a group of regular readers, and the Daily News earns money from other places.
, can be used to make up for the shortcomings of the Republic of China.
This is not something that ordinary people can play, and it is estimated that the financial backers behind the tabloids may not necessarily have such great energy.
What is the power of capital?
This is called the power of capital
They won't quarrel with you at a low level at all, but will directly use money to destroy the right to speak that you finally gained.
The daily news is roughly divided into three sections, one is international current affairs, the other is people's livelihood gossip, and the third is business news.
Most of the international current affairs section is reprinted, all of which are major news that happened in every corner of the world within the previous day, ranging from the ongoing Paris Peace Conference to gossip about the British royal family. People who care about the international situation can find it here.
Anything you want.
Almost every report will include an editor's note, which not only details the source of the reprint, but also briefly introduces the author's situation and the background of the article, allowing readers to have a general understanding of the national background involved in the article and the author's political leanings.
learn.
This is not so much news as popular science reading, which not only allows those politicians who care about current affairs to have a clearer grasp of the international situation, but also allows new readers to adapt quickly and avoid being confused.
Miscellaneous talks about people's livelihood are mainly placed in China, covering everything from the ongoing Civil War to the secret transfer of cultural relics from the former Qing royal family still in the Forbidden City. Such articles only state the facts without any analysis or comment. The merits are left to the right and wrong.
Readers judge.
There are no columns in Minsheng Zatan, nor are there any commentator articles by so-called Chinese masters. They are just simple news reports without any private information.
This has simply made many masters fearful. Without the support of newspapers and the pursuit of readers, can masters still be called masters? Can masters who are already very old still communicate normally with female students who are in their prime?
In fact, the masters of the Republic of China lived a very comfortable life. They all taught in major universities and received astronomical salaries. They earned extra income by scolding people in newspapers every day. When they got interested, they could even talk to female students.
Talking about ideals, don’t live a life that is too moist.
One surprising fact is that during the Republic of China, almost all the masters were in the literary field, with only a few in the science, engineering, and agriculture and forestry fields. But these guys who were accustomed to sitting around talking and only talking rhetoric were actually all called masters.
The name is really speechless.
If you are really patriotic, then don't point fingers and criticize current problems all day long. If you were in charge, you might be able to build 2 million kilometers of railways a year. At least do your job and let students stay in the classroom and study without worries.
Just go to the streets and parade, which will only create a group of angry youths to make themselves famous, and will have no effect on the country.
The last piece of business news is a kaleidoscope, covering everything from the function of washing machines to the price of rice in Siam. Ordinary people can only see which restaurant in the capital has good quality, low price and sufficient quantity. The keen-eyed business elite naturally
Can discover business opportunities.
No matter what era, information asymmetry can lead to huge profits, so almost within a week, the Daily News received tens of thousands of subscription requests. Most of these readers are businessmen, and their eyes are naturally
It is focused on the important business news section. As for the other two types, it also comes with subscription. Even if it does not generate benefits, it can always broaden your horizons.
It was just a first issue, and many people in China suddenly discovered that there was no war in the world anymore, and only the Republic of China was still at war; it turned out that although the former Qing Dynasty had been destroyed, the emperor still lived in the Forbidden City, and had been secretly transferring the original
property belonging to all citizens.
As a result, the focus of public attention immediately shifted from the foreign legions to the domestic warlords and the emperor in the Forbidden City.
In fact, few people care about the Foreign Legion. Many people have never heard of the Foreign Legion before. Many of the students who showed the most anger during the parade have never seen anyone in the Foreign Legion before.
, if it weren’t for many caring people adding fuel to the flames, people really wouldn’t care.
The Chinese are still very realistic. Unless it is related to their own interests, few people will complain about others.
So now the problem arises. The domestic war has endangered the national economy and people's livelihood, and the behavior of the former Qing royal family is similar to theft. This is always related to their own interests, so the focus of public opinion immediately began to shift.
It doesn't matter whether the foreign legions will come back. They have never come back anyway. The melee among domestic warlords and the theft by the former Qing royal family are more worthy of condemnation.
Almost the next day, people gathered in front of the Purple City Gate demanding that the abdicated emperor get out of the Forbidden City.
Hmm, it seems that getting out is becoming a national curse.
In fact, the protests at this time were sporadic. Once the impetus was lost, few people, whether students or businessmen, really wanted to confront the government. They would have thought that they were all patriotic and stupid. When group behavior turned into individual behavior,
The Chinese have always cherished their own bodies.
At the end of January, the Beiyang government issued news management regulations, stipulating the newspaper access system, news review system, and employee qualification certification.
There is no doubt that only the Daily News in the Republic of China has full qualifications, because a single deposit of 100,000 yuan has wiped out 99% of the newspapers.
This 100,000 yuan is non-refundable. If the newspaper violates any news management regulations during its operation, all of the 100,000 yuan will be confiscated. The newspaper will not be shut down because of this, but if you want to reopen, fine,
Bring me another 100,000 yuan.
Let’s take a look at the provisions of the News Management Regulations:
No one is allowed to oppose the basic principles established by the Constitution;
Those who disrupt social order and undermine social stability are not allowed to appear;
It is not allowed to insult or slander others or infringe on others' legitimate rights and interests.
The above is just an excerpt. The full text has nine chapters and 73 articles. If any article is violated, the deposit will be immediately confiscated, and the newspaper will suspend publication to make rectifications. The publishing rights will not be re-granted until the competent authorities deem it appropriate.
When they saw this news management regulation, most media people felt a chill in their hearts. Let’s not talk about anything else. Let’s first understand the content of the constitution.
As a result, the news management regulations immediately caused an uproar. Many scholars and masters publicly criticized this as a regression of freedom and a tragedy for civilization.
The Beiyang government treated this group of literati very leniently, so the news management regulations that had been passed by Congress were put into trial implementation. The trial period was for half a year, and a decision would be made after half a year whether to formally implement them.
Okay, it's January, half a year
For Qin Zhiyuan, things that happened in the Republic of China did not require Qin Zhiyuan to arrange it himself. Qin Zhiyuan just gave an order, and Lance and Philip would naturally carry it out.
Lance and Philip are Qin Zhiyuan's old friends. They have known Qin Zhiyuan since two years ago. They are both senior media people. The key is to always be consistent with Qin Zhiyuan.
Now, both Lance and Philip have joined Lanfang.
Lance is the editor-in-chief of the Daily News, and Philip is the director of the Information Office of the Prime Minister's Office in Lanfang.
Their positions are not fixed. This year, Lance is the editor-in-chief of the Daily News, and Philip is the director of the Information Office. Next year, they will be transferred. Philip will be the editor-in-chief, and Lance will be promoted to director.
No, in Lanfang, there is no such thing as rising or falling.
Qin Zhiyuan is very disgusted with the idea of officialdom. It can be said that he deeply hates those strange phenomena such as being an official for one day and for life, etc.
Therefore, in Lanfang, even if the Prime Minister is opposed by the Congress, Qin Zhiyuan will remove the Prime Minister and then appoint a new Prime Minister elected by the Congress.
Even the Prime Minister is like this, needless to say for the people below.
All civil servants should take up the job if they can, and leave as soon as possible. If they are kicked out, they will have to wait for an investigation by the internal affairs department led by Gao Hongshi.
As for the salary, it's really not that high. It's basically the same as ordinary workers.
There are almost no social privileges, because Lanfang is gradually improving the legal system, and there are rules to follow for everything. It is not easy to find an acquaintance to open a back door, and it is also necessary to avoid the spy of the internal affairs department.
Doesn't it seem like there is almost no benefit?
This is the result Qin Zhiyuan wants.
The idea that the official team is different from the army is just nonsense. It will only lead to the Chinese people who are seriously obsessed with official-oriented thinking to burrow their heads into the bureaucratic team.
If you don't want to do it, then please leave.
In the Chinese world, there is never a shortage of people who want to be officials.
