Freezing Point, Expressing the Value and Dignity of Ordinary People —— Reading the Story of Freezing Point

Freezing Point, Expressing the Value and Dignity of Ordinary People —— Reading the Story of Freezing Point

Who says news works must be fragile? In fact, there are chapters and columns that can stand the test of time. Far away from Fan Changjiang's Northwest Corner of China and Zhao Chaogou's Yan 'an January, in recent years, many newspapers and periodicals have cultivated a number of eye-catching brand-name columns, which have been published one after another. Freezing Point by China Youth Daily is one of them. The freezing point has been released 1995, which has lasted for 16 years. Now it has developed into a weekly magazine, the fourth edition of Freezing Point Weekly. "Freezing Point" was once rated as "the famous column of the central major news media".

By chance, I bought a book "The Story of Freezing Point" (published by Guangxi Normal University Press and written by Li Datong). Although this book is not on the bestseller list, it is my favorite for a long time. I really can't put it down after reading it. With more than 300,000 words, the book describes the birth and experience of freezing point in detail, and the story is vivid and tortuous, which is far more attractive than the once popular TV series "The Story of the Editorial Department". Because it is not fiction, but a real "editing story".

Freezing point pays attention to the value and dignity of ordinary people. Its preface says: "pay more attention to those people and things that are not so obvious;" Pay more attention to the living conditions and thoughts of ordinary people; Express more opinions that no one has said. In short, it is getting closer and closer to readers and young people. "

Who would have thought that the pioneering work of Freezing Point was actually an article "The Last Dung in Beijing". This report describes in detail the story of several old educated youths who settled in the Great Northern Wilderness in those days. After returning to the city, they took up several dung buckets left in big cities without any regrets and made contributions to society in obscurity. It tells the beautiful feelings covered by the noise and indifference of the city, as well as the self-esteem and professionalism of ordinary people. The report received an unprecedented response, and many readers cried and called the editorial department to talk about their feelings.

For this reason, China Press and Publication published a review article entitled Freezing Point written by experts from China Academy of Social Sciences, and enthusiastically commented that the earliest characters in Freezing Point were far from going to the cloud that everyone admired, but took up the dung bucket and went to the cesspit. Don't think about the contrast. However, it is these three ordinary people who are carrying the last dung bucket in Beijing, trying to win the first prize at the freezing point, and publishing their photos publicly with the editor's good intentions, which obviously makes people feel that "one thousand newspapers and one star" are too pale, too melodramatic and too appetizing, so it is necessary for newspapers to pay attention to ordinary people.

Many articles published in Freezing Point are welcomed by readers. Thousands of letters flew to the editorial department, and newspapers summarized readers' opinions and published them in the form of a full-page "freezing point special issue" These letters from readers truly reflect the hearts of readers. Some readers wrote: "newspapers are adding editions, but there is a growing feeling that there is no newspaper to read." We spend too much time looking up at celebrities, but we can't find our own spiritual track, life latitude and longitude, and emotional cable. " Freezing point opens a new horizon for readers. It is rooted in the living soil of ordinary people. It dares to do what others have never said, knowing and doing well. It is called "freezing point". Why is it cold? "

Of course, it is not a day's work to create such a brand column or weekly magazine. The aim of Freezing Point is "ordinary people", which is an eternal proposition. The reader's eyes are really sharp. In their letter to the editor, they said: "The so-called' freezing point' means to be calm and sober, keep your eyes down, feel the pulse of ordinary people at all times, and say a few words for most ordinary people"; "Looking at the freezing point, I understand a truth-news should produce fine products, and it is best to pay attention to the fate and thoughts of ordinary people."

The word "ordinary people" is deeply imprinted in the minds of editors and journalists. People-oriented is based on ordinary people to some extent. But not all ordinary things are worth reporting. Only by finding out its "extraordinary" connotation from the ordinary can it have news value. The author of this book, Li Datong, who founded and presided over Freezing Point for ten years, said: "Ordinary people have done extraordinary things, or displayed a universal value in their extraordinary fate. This can impress me and is one of the foundations of news. " In this way, when you see a photo, you can dig out a big theme; I chatted casually about a quarrel about moving, and found a message of universal significance, which became a good article after the interview; I received a phone call from a friend, chatted and arranged an interview ... The story in the middle, touching details, and so on. It is no exaggeration to say that the editor devoted himself to freezing point.

In the process of building the freezing point brand, a group of journalists with quick thinking and hard work have gradually formed and emerged. This is an indispensable team for a well-known brand. Now the press emphasizes "going to the grassroots". At that time, they didn't need anyone to call, but they acted consciously. This is the same as "nothing ventured, nothing gained". How can you make a good manuscript without face-to-face contact with the interviewee and in-depth and meticulous conversation? It was a female reporter who volunteered to interview the last excrement in Beijing. At first, the editor-in-chief was "unable to talk" and he "didn't want to hurt a lady". He said, "Predictably, the interview will be quite difficult, at least it should be smelly enough. I can't bear to let any lady suffer like this. " As a result, the female reporter came out. The interview started early in the morning, and I followed the dung man all day. In the middle, he almost vomited by the smell of shit. A male photojournalist accompanied him all the way to the bathroom to take pictures of them taking a shower after work. Then, one by one, they went to talk to the dung carriers. The manuscript written in this way has to be rewritten and polished many times before it can reach the standard. It is different from the typical reports of advanced figures in the past, but reflects the life, feelings and fate of ordinary people as much as possible.

The reporter of Freezing Point can go deep into Xiangxi for a field interview for a letter from readers. After reading the report "Orphanage is not my home", this reader was deeply moved. He wrote to the editor and told him that two cousins of his fifth uncle's family were gifted with excellent grades, but their families were poor and their mothers were seriously ill, so they immediately faced dropping out of school. The reporter stayed in Xiangxi for five days and didn't reply. He was so anxious that the editor-in-chief called everywhere. I was really afraid of an accident in Xiangxi, and I didn't get a call until ten days later when the interview was over. It turned out that this interview suffered a lot. Respondents are located deep in the mountains. The propaganda minister of the county party Committee accompanied the female reporter to climb the mountain and turned over one after another. The reporter was too tired to walk. The minister said it was fast, but there was a mountain ahead ... but this interview, she was deeply touched. When reporting, she blurted out: "Living in Beijing is a crime!" Compared with Beijing, the hardships she will see will accompany the interviewees to tears again and again. Later, the report was published on the topic of "five uncles and five aunts", and the response was strong, even exceeding the effect of "dung". What impressed me most in the report were three descriptions of tears: Uncle Wu's tears, "full of laughter, but tears kept flowing down his dark face …"; The tears of the eldest son, Chang Bing, "Chang Bing's nose twitched in haste, and the tears have directly dropped into the bowl. He is trying to control himself from crying out loud ... "; Children big commander's tears, "I looked down and remembered that the voice was wrong. When I looked up again, the child was looking up at the roof with tears in his eyes, but I didn't let it shed a drop. This is the charm of on-the-spot interview, and it is also a reward for trekking thousands of miles to the depths of the mountains!

In the stormy period of 16, Freezing Point presents a microcosm of how a well-known brand column reports China. Today, Freezing Point has expanded into Freezing Point Weekly, which is published once every Wednesday with four editions, including special issues such as Observation, Exploration and People. Pay attention to the fate, value and dignity of ordinary people as always. Looking through the latest Freezing Point Weekly, I saw an article "Farewell to Peking University Chef" on last year1October 9 165438. This is also an ordinary person of Peking University. Not many people can name him, but he always says more than 600 words of "hello" every day, and he can still remember the taste of his classmates who often come to cook, and no matter how busy he is, he never forgets to say "hello". It is such a dedicated chef who died five days after a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. He is only 34 years old. His death aroused the memory of teachers and students of Peking University. Students spontaneously write articles, distribute leaflets and put up posters, and hold fund-raising activities. A vice-president of Peking University said: "This is the first time that a Peking University student has raised money for an ordinary employee."