[Series Report] “Joint Learning”: Learn the Way of Online Commentary to Create a Clear Space on the Internet

Editor’s note: At present, all CPC members and all people from the leadership to the masses in CUG are carrying out the theme-focused education on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in accordance with the requirements of the “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee on Thoroughly Implementing Theme-focused Education on Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”. The Party Committee of the School of Arts and Communication conscientiously studies and implements the “Implementation Plan for Theme-focused Education on Thoroughly Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” issued by the Party Committee of CUG; focusing on the general requirements of “learning ideology, strengthening party spirit, emphasizing practice, and making new achievements”, it combines the theme-focused education with the fundamental task of cultivating virtues and morality, combines the theme-focused education with the talent training, scientific research, discipline construction and other work of the school, integrates the requirements of theory study, investigation and research, development promotion and inspection and rectification, and strive to achieve tangible results in studying for forging the soul, studying for wisdom, studying for Party conduct, and studying for work promotion. From now on, a series of reports on this theme will be launched on the website of the School.

The rapid development of the Internet has profoundly changed the way public opinion is generated and disseminated, and has brought unprecedented influence to the exchange and interchange of different cultures and values. The Internet has been the main position, the main battlefield and the forefront of the ideological struggle. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “Who controls the Internet, who will seize the initiative of the times; who despises the Internet, who will be abandoned by the times,” “If we cannot know well the Internet, we cannot realize long-term governance.”

On the theme of scientific understanding of the laws of network communication, improving the level of online governance, and singing of the main theme of the Internet, on June 2, 2023, the School of Arts and Communication invited Hu Wenjiang, a renowned online teacher of the Ministry of Education, an associate professor at Hanjiang Normal University, the founder of “Hongbi Net” (the key online commentary platform of Hubei Province), and a national excellent online commentator, to give a special lecture. As one of the contents of “joint learning” of theme-focused education on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, members of the theoretical study central groups of the Party committee, including the Organization Department of the Party Committee, the United Front Work Department of the Party Committee, the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee, the Retirement Work Office, the Labor Union, the Department of Library, Archives and Museum, and the School of Foreign Languages, listened to the lecture in Lecture Hall 1104 of the Building of School of Arts and Communication together with the fans of online commentary creation of the whole university.

With the title of “Integrating Marxist Views of Journalism into the Creation of Online Commentary”, Hu Wenjiang analyzed the concept and characteristics of online commentary from three aspects: “the central government attaches great importance to online ideological and political work”, “giving full play to the nurturing function of online commentary”, “integrating Marxist views of journalism into the creation of online commentary”, and discussed the importance of online commentary from four its characteristics, role, status and authorship. He believed that the core values of Chinese socialism should be vigorously promoted in the creation of online commentary, and university faculty should actively demonstrate and build a strong team of faculty and students for online commentary.

In his lecture, Hu Wenjiang reviewed his years of online commentary creation and analyzed the excellent online commentary works. He pointed out that in the ideological and political work and propaganda and cultural work of colleges and universities, we should take the initiative to use and play the advantages of the network platform to spread the good voice of the university, and teachers and students should be brave enough to “show their swords” against negative behaviors in the network and let the positive energy occupy the network space, so that the network space will be more clear.

Jin Xi, secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Arts and Communication, believed that network commentary is not only an important part of ideological and political work in universities, but also an important research direction in journalism and communication. In the future, we will guide the teachers and students of the School to strengthen the research and creation of network commentary and network culture, so as to promote the development of the school with high-quality online works.

It is reported that the lecture is co-organized by the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee, the School of Arts and Communication, and the Shanhe Network Studio. Related organizations will also organize relevant special reports or lectures in combination with the practical work of theme-focused education, theoretical study and professional construction.