hanghai International Studies University (SISU) established the Gen-Z Talent Incubator for Journalism and Global Communication at the School of Journalism and Communication (SJC) on Mar. 31.

Yan Yining, the vice dean of SJC, said that the incubator explored courses that combine on-campus theoretical learning with off-campus practical projects. It was to build a global communication pattern in which everyone could be an amateur 'jouralist'.

SJC has worked on many practical projects in cooperation with China Daily and CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee. Among them, SISU students from various schools have produced more than one thousand reports on the “Shanghai Songjiang” English Channel in the past three years.

Wang Zhaolong, a student majoring in journalism, won the Excellent Practice Award for his two-year-work on “Shanghai Songjiang”. “The project integrated knowledge from my various courses. Only through long-term practice can journalists master English news writing skills,” he said.

During the 2021 China International Import Expo (CIIE), Wang was responsible for reporting Songjiang local companies supporting the event. It was a challenge for him because the report involved many specific nouns and was to be released on that day.

“Fortunately, I finished the story on time and my teacher appreciated my progress, which gave me a sense of accomplishment,” Wang added, “The base could centralize cooperation projects between SISU and industries, developing more innovative offline activities.”

“Over a hundred students in SISU have participated in the world news fact-checking project,” another industry mentor Li Yiqing of The Paper’s international department said, “We hope to cooperate with SISU on topics Gen -Z is interested in, such as global climate changes, and to create a group of Gen-Z global communication KOLs.”

Li Hanmeng, a graduate student of SJC, was also awarded for the world news fact-checking project. She was responsible for adapting texts into scripts, designing shooting plans, and other works, including filming, dubbing, editing, and hosting.

“The Five-Minute Analysis of the 'Great Translation Movement'” is one of the most impressive works for Student Li as the video was revised many times. “I realized how to better analyze the authenticity of information through an objective, rational, and calm perspective and have respect for information dissemination,” she said.

The event also discussed the relationship between practice and academia. Professor Tao Jianjie from Fudan University emphasized that international journalism and communication talent training should focus on producing high-quality content. “The talent cultivation cannot be just limited in the field of communication but also needs to combine methods from other disciplines, such as management and pedagogy,” he added.

Associate Professor Zhou Yefei of Shanghai University and Associate Researcher Qian Jin of SISU agreed that practice is the source of academic issues. “In addition to academic papers, other diverse forms of works also have their theoretical value and should be recognized, including videos and practical reports,” Zhou said.

The current international changes have challenged cultivating global journalism and communication talents. “Students and teachers should further strengthen cooperation with governments, media outlets, enterprises and other related industries,” said Guo Ke, dean of SJC.