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MA Journalism, Chinese, Press Censorship


I decide to study journalism in America because in my country, China, it is no longer a safe place to do so.  “According to laws, regulations and policy, a portion of your search results cannot be shown”.  If you search “iCenci”, A notice like this would prompt into screen, it is the Chinese name of a news sharing portal, for which I once worked as a bilingual news translator; it was also during the five months that I worked there that I produced 20 special news reports with co-workers. Now this online news forum has been permanently shut down. My social media profile was forcefully renamed and all the articles we once edited were removed overnight. I used to translate news concerning workers in overseas sweatshops but got prohibited from continuing to do so. To travel the world and report on stories that people are either too afraid to tell or don't think have enough importance would be the best way to commemorate the loss of our website, and more broadly, to revitalize the meaningful side of news industry.

I became a “rebel”, fed up with censorship in our media. Nevertheless, I also understand only by seeking my master’s degree in journalism at a cutting-edge institution of higher learning could I work towards greater journalist freedom of expression in my China. Having already completed two internships in the area of journalism makes me witness and closely observe for years the ways in which journalistic values are so easily come under attack or are simply consigned to oblivion, especially when it comes to exposing the truth about how broad sectors of our society remain politically and economically marginalized and are also victims of widespread human rights abuses.  The part that brings me the greatest sadness and anger as a Chinese person is the way in which the generalized misery of a large minority of our countrymen is simply swept under the rug and kept in a journalistic blackout by government censors. We live in a society where journalistic endeavors, even with respect to social media, generally serve little more than the interests of propaganda, particularly official propaganda.

I want to become and advance as a professional journalist because I see journalists as increasingly important actors in social change in progressive directions and I want to be a part of this. I also look very much forward to helping to advance the cause of accuracy and objectivity in Western reporting on China. During my stay in America, for example, I was appalled to discover that more than half of the Americans with whom I discussed the issue of women’s rights in China still thought that most if not many Chinese people threw away their baby if it turned out to be a girl. Many believed that China was still at war with Japan and others declared China to be on the same level as North Korea in terms of human rights abuses.

 I choose to apply for a journalism degree at XXXX University basically because your program fits me perfectly by granting an abundance of on-hands experiences. Moreover, your courses emphasize a lot in the fundamental study of journalism, which will absolutely help me strengthen my knowledge base. Considering my past experience in journalistic field, I feel confident that I will get well-prepared to do a professional report after taking such rigorous and upper-level courses. 

 There is nothing more important than being a global citizen that is fully aware of the interconnectedness of the world's citizens. This job is supposed to be taken by someone with better sense and tolerance toward a certain culture, rather than one whose mind is full of extreme preoccupation. China needs to be reported on in a more objective way. The news industry needs people to make an informed and balanced representation of facts. To put it more bluntly, a Chinese student with a female perspective may not offer something sophisticated, but it will be something new and different. The uniqueness of what I believe would warrant my performance as a qualified journalist as well as being a good thinker.

My short term goal after wrapping my graduate education is to begin working in a television-related journalistic capacity that will challenge me while allowing me to grow and continue refining my skills as a professional journalist. CNN is definitely my ideal work site, heaven for any journalistic worker. I have dreamed thousands of times that someday I could work with Anderson Cooper, who is my favorite journalist in the USA.

I thank you for considering my application to UXXX, which I consider to be the most creative and progressive university in the USA.

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