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GLOBAL BUSINESS JOURNALISM NEWSLETTER
January 2025

It's Spring Festival time, and our Global Business Journalism community is spread out across China and the entire world. We're celebrating the Year of the Snake with jiaozi 饺子 🥟🥟🥟 and other delicious dishes. And we're taking a break from the stresses of our studies.

The New Year is a good time to thank everyone who makes our lives easier at the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication. The biggest 谢谢 thanks (!) goes to the international office staff, Chengzhang Li and Xiaohe Shi, who work so hard to make all of our lives easier and to make the GBJ program run smoothly. And best wishes to our supremely talented group of professors, both Chinese and international, who offer personal attention and careful guidance to each student throughout their two years at Tsinghua and who remain willing to offer career advice for years after.

Now, the news ...

1. Ringing in the new year with a Tsinghua tea party
 

Global Business Journalism students joined in the 2025 Tsinghua University New Year Tea Party, an event that brought together faculty, staff, and students to celebrate 2025 and the Year of the Snake. Yulia, an international student, gave a heartfelt speech about her experiences at Tsinghua.

A student from Hong Kong at Schwarzman College added an artistic touch by performing a beautiful violin solo. The event also featured a group of singers whose performance created a joyful and festive atmosphere. These party showcased the diversity, talent, and sense of community of the university.

2. GBJ's Zuzanna Bialas offers advice for creating a successful Instagram account

Our Global Business Journalism tipsheets regularly offer our students – and journalists around the world – free advice to improve their skills. This month, first-year GBJ student Zuzanna Bialas from Poland authored 10 tips to help you create a successful Instagram account, with specific tips for engaging a loyal group of followers. Her lead:

"Social media has become a dominant force in the world of journalism, capturing a large share of people’s attention as the industry rapidly evolves in the digital era.

According to the consulting company Deloitte, nearly half of Americans report spending more time on social media than watching television. The easy access to social media through our smartphones gives it a clear advantage over traditional media outlets such as TV, radio or even newspapers.

It is no surprise, then, that in recent years, Instagram has become one of the most powerful platforms for building a personal brand, sharing news, and connecting with an audience. Created for storytelling and sharing visual content, Instagram is perfect for engaging users with short content that increases visibility and reaches targeted audiences.

Aspiring journalists in this evolving media landscape must embrace — or at least adapt to — these changes. Mastering the art of Instagram is certainly a good way to gain more influence in your field. However, building a successful presence on this platform requires more than simply posting pretty pictures."

>>> Read Zuza's full article
>>> See our journalism tips homepage

3. Veteran Singapore journalists Choo Chee Wee, Han Yong May explore new perspectives as visiting scholars

“I always tell myself that I was born to become a journalist, that's the only thing I know,” longtime Singaporean journalist Choo Chee Wee told GBJ reporter Bakhtawar Tauseef.

Choo, a third-generation Singaporean-Chinese journalist, was one of two veteran editors who recently completed a semester on the Tsinghua University campus as part of an innovative exchange program between the university and Chinese-language media outlets in Singapore.

Han Yong May, executive editor of the chief of Lianhe Zaobao, emphasized the importance of balancing strong reporting with in-depth analysis, stressing that journalists should focus on meaningful reporting rather than chasing viral content.

“It is important for us to adapt to the digital age while maintaining the integrity of our journalism,” she said. “Although the media has changed the core values of responsible reporting should remain unchanged despite the shift in mediums.”

>>> Read the entire article

4. Tsinghua's Old Gate sparkles at Harbin Ice Festival

It's ice coooooold in Harbin in January. Minus 10 degrees. Minus 20. Even minus 30. But that won't stop intrepid Global Business Journalism travelers like co-director Rick Dunham and visiting professor Pam Tobey from visiting the world-famous Harbin Ice Festival.

In addition to ice sculptures contributed by nations from around the world, the top universities in China are represented in a section of the park. Tsinghua University's famed Old Gate is reconstructed in ice. Gleaming in the mid-winter sun, it is the scene of countless snapshots by tourists from China and around the world.

Harbin has been celebrating the winter festival since 1963, and continuously for the past 42 years.

 

5. Catch up on other headlines from GlobalBusinessJournalism.com

Here are some other stories we've published on our website since our last newsletter, in case you've missed them:

• 5 steps to make your journalism irresistible on social media platforms
• 6 must-know medical care tips for international students at Chinese universities
• Community Notes: How it works
• Tips for overcoming writer's block
• The Top 10: The most popular Global Business Journalism posts of 2024

Thanks for reading the January GBJ newsletter. We'll be back with more news and updates from students, alumni and faculty next month. If you want to be the first to read each GBJ newsletter, subscribe here and receive an email notification when a new newsletter is published.