In the past few years, at some events, we often saw a title when introducing guests: "Senior Media Person."

In recent years, few people use this identity anymore, and they are replaced by “new media people” or “integrated media people”.

It turns out that "senior media person" is a fashionable thing, just like the "bell-bottom pants" and "carrot pants" sold in stores in the early years. It was specially labeled to attract those who like to follow fashion.

I have also been called "senior media person" countless times. Perhaps my other names are not loud enough or eye-catching enough. In some occasions where I was invited to attend, the organizer would take the initiative to give me this enough A label to give him face.

I can't argue with this arrangement because I am indeed "senior" enough. Since entering the news industry in 1993, I have worked in both newspapers and television stations, and have been working as a front-line reporter and editor. In total, I have at least more than 25 years of media experience. In order to cover news, I have traveled to most of China and experienced some major news events that have shocked China. The word "senior" is well-deserved. If you include the previous status of "correspondent", I have more than 30 years of experience at least. Business experience.

I would like to ask you a little, those born in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, do you know what a "correspondent" is?

Before I started working in the news media, I was already a "correspondent" for several newspapers. I often wrote and published articles for them. I still keep the passer card issued by the newspaper.

You know, in that era, even if you had a dream, you didn’t just want to realize it.

Furthermore, during my years in the media, I have won almost all kinds of journalism awards from national to municipal levels. This can be considered a bit of achievement, especially since in addition to news works, I can also shoot Shooting documentaries, writing professional articles, and adding the label of "senior media person" can be regarded as worthy of the name.

However, I always feel that this name is a bit fictitious and is a thing used to "bluff" people. When it comes to doing news, even if you are really "senior", you may not necessarily do it well. Even if you just do it today, you may be able to produce a good news.

Forget it, I’m not a fool, who doesn’t understand such a simple truth, it’s just “the emperor’s new clothes”, because everyone needs face and a face-saving identity, and I am not immune to this.

Fortunately, I have left the media and have reduced a lot of meaningless activities, and I no longer need such a label. Precisely because of this, the scene of my first interview at a newspaper 26 years ago reappeared in my mind. It was from that day that my "journalism career" started.

In 1993, I applied for a "suspension with pay" at my original employer, came to Chengdu, and started my "Rongpiao" journey, and began to pursue a dream that I had had for a long time.

“Suspension of pay”? Another old word that needs to be explained. People under the age of 40 probably still don’t understand it.

This is a talent flow mechanism implemented by the country after the reform and opening up. To put it simply, if you don’t receive a salary from the work unit, you can go out and seek self-employment, but the work unit will keep your identity for you. What if you fail to “break out”? It is a more humane policy to leave a chance of survival.

At that time, there was not even the word "Beijing Drift", let alone "Rong Drift", but I actually came to a foreign land and started wandering. It seems very simple now, but in the 1990s, it took a lot of courage to break your iron job and find a job on your own. Not everyone dared to take this step. Because I had a dream of being a reporter. Only with support can you do such a thing without hesitation.

Life in "Rongpiao" was not smooth, because at that time even in a provincial capital city like Chengdu, "social recruitment" was still an emerging thing. When the unit needs personnel, it is impossible to "advertise it widely" in the media. It is still habitual to digest it within a small scope.

In order to survive, I first found a job in an advertising company. With the little art knowledge I had learned before, I designed trademarks for customers, and actually got recognition from some customers. I remember that I designed a set of liquor trademarks, and the customer was very satisfied. The company also gave me a bonus of 500 yuan. You know, at that time, this was my living expenses for two months.

For me, the most important thing is not the bonus, but reading the newspaper every day to understand the local news. More importantly, I want to see if there are any recruitment notices in the media.

One day three months later, I finally saw a recruitment notice the size of a tofu block in the "Sichuan Newspaper". The newspaper wanted to recruit several reporters.

My heart suddenly shook: Isn’t this the opportunity I have been looking for? Isn’t it my dream to be a reporter? Isn’t it just for today to come to “Rongpiao”?

I remember clearly that it was May 23, 1993, a Sunday morning. I went to the Huifu second-hand market in the north of the city and spent 30 yuan on a worn-out bicycle. The axis went all the way south and found No. 34 Shaanxi Street, where Xinhua News Agency's Sichuan Branch "Shu News" is located.

At the corner of the corridor on the second floor, a simple table was placed, and a girl with long hair named Hao received the applicants. I was a little surprised when I first saw her. She didn't look like a Chengdu person at all. She was exactly the same as the northern girls I saw when I was studying in Beijing. She was tall and strong. But her authentic Chengdu dialect made me feel like I was "jumping into the show" every minute.

Xiao Hao had no expression on his face and answered every question of the applicant in an extremely calm and calm manner. Later, when we got to know each other, we discovered that she turned out to be a very funny person who loves to make fun of her. She said that she was all pretending that day, and at the end of the day, her whole face was cramped.

Being a reporter was my dream when I was young. Perhaps this idea was too strong. When I was waiting for the interview at the door of the editor-in-chief’s office, I was so nervous that I was shaking all over. At this time, I suddenly felt a hand pressing heavily on my shoulder.

When I looked up, I saw a red-faced, handsome-looking smiling face who was a few years older than me, staring at me with a smile: Applicant? I responded to him awkwardly with a zombie-like smile. He said, don't be nervous, it's nothing. After that, he left with his head held high.

Xiao Hao told me that he is Yang Li, the deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper. In the Sichuan branch of Xinhua News Agency, his ability to write articles is also among the top.

Before applying for the job, I knew the editor-in-chief’s name was He Xiaolin from the Sichuan Newspaper. I timidly opened the door to the editor-in-chief's office. When I saw it, my heart skipped a beat. Damn it, Mr. He's appearance looked too much like the "Sichuan Mouse" image I had sketched in my mind, didn't he? He was small and lean, with a pair of bright eyes looking at me.

Before coming to Chengdu, many well-meaning people around me kept reminding me: Chengdu people are all mice, so be careful!

Actually, no need to remind me, I have personal experience. A friend knows a young man from Pixian County, Chengdu. He opened a motorcycle repair shop in our hometown. He is often seen riding a motorcycle in the small town. For young people in small towns, this is too eye-catching.

A colleague told me that he gave him 2,000 yuan and he promised to go back to Chengdu to buy him a second-hand motorcycle. Later, several friends successively gave him money and asked him to buy a motorcycle. I was also a little excited, but unfortunately I didn’t know how to ride a bicycle at the time, and I was even more afraid of motorcycles. That person also enlightened me and promised to teach me within 5 minutes. I eventually gave up because I couldn’t ride a bike. Two months later, I heard from my colleagues that the baby from Pixian County had gone forever and was missing. They even made a special trip to Pixian County, Chengdu to look for her, but they still came back without success.

Mr. He received me warmly and didn’t say much. He simply asked me some questions. He kept emphasizing that what a newspaper office values ??is not your diploma, but your actual work ability. Later I learned that Mr. He was known as the “Three Pens of Xinhua” in Xinhua News Agency. You must know that in a place like Xinhua News Agency, where many talented people are born, such a title cannot be obtained overnight and with a little achievement.

I majored in literature in Beijing. Although I had worked as a correspondent for several years, I had to start from scratch when actually writing news articles. After the first manuscript came out, Mr. He patiently explained to me the problems that existed in the manuscript and what else needed to be added. After one week and three revisions, the manuscript finally appeared in the newspaper.

Early the next morning, I bought a newspaper from the newsstand and came to the newspaper office excitedly. As soon as I entered the corner of the second floor of the newspaper office, I heard a breathy voice. A completely, very familiar voice came from the other end of the corridor: What kind of bullshit are you writing? Have you made it clear?

In an instant, I was petrified and didn’t know how to answer. My colleague Chunyan who just came in comforted me: Leave him alone, Teacher Yang has a loud voice.

I was pushed into the office by Chunyan in a daze, and Teacher Yang also came in. Just as I was about to speak, Chunyan choked me back: Teacher Yang, do you understand? This is a continuous report, one article. How can I finish the manuscript? You can wait until you read the next issue.

Teacher Yang was stunned for a moment, muttering something unknown, then turned and left. I hurriedly asked Chunyan: Is there any next issue? How come I don't know? Chunyan lowered her voice: I lied to Teacher Yang. I opened my mouth in surprise: Huh? How can this work? How can I submit a commission if I don’t have a manuscript? Chunyan laughed loudly: You country bumpkin, you are too honest. Just say that you haven't interviewed anyone, so why bother to pay! Chunyan picked up the tea cup and went to the other end of the corridor to turn on the water. I heard her hearty laughter from near to far.

I was speechless and petrified again.

Chunyan is tall and thin, and wears a pair of highly myopic glasses. She was a teacher at a university in Chengdu, but she quit her job because she liked journalism. She is forthright and cheerful, and she speaks quickly. I always have a feeling that Chunyan must have been a knight-errant in his previous life, much like the characters in Mr. Jin Yong's works.

At that time, "Chengdu Commercial Daily" and "West China Metropolis Daily" were not yet born, and Chengdu's newspaper industry was undoubtedly dominated by "Chengdu Evening News". Every afternoon, the cries of "Chengdu Evening News" can be heard in every corner of the city. On the streets, in parks, and in tea shops, citizens can be seen reading the "Chengdu Evening News" everywhere. Even the tricycle masters waiting for customers on the streets almost have a copy. Everyone chatted about everything, and the topic could start from any piece of news in the newspaper, ranging from the president of the United States to what just happened in Chengdu today.

Gradually, I got used to Teacher Yang’s loud voice. He yelled at us and explained the manuscript to us, allowing us to grow rapidly in the process. I remember that a month later, at a working meeting of the newspaper office, Mr. He and Teacher Yang specially praised me, saying that I was the fastest growing reporter in the entire newspaper office, which made me secretly happy for a while.

In the first year of joining "Shu News", I published more than 300 news works. For a newspaper published on Tuesday, this means that in every issue of the newspaper, I have After several articles, Xiao Hao often took the newspaper and joked to me: You opened a special page again today!

Teacher Yang discusses topic selection and manuscripts with us almost every day. Even for meals, her lover brings her children to the newspaper office to eat together, which makes us envious of singles. Sometimes, her lover even makes extra delicious food to reward us. In our eyes, all our longing for the future is to have such a warm home.

In the newspaper office, only me and the editor-in-chief of the first page, Old Tang, are from out of town and belong to the early "Rongpiao", so naturally there is a sense of isolation and loneliness. In our spare time, we walked slowly from Shaanxi Street to Tianfu Square and sat on the steps below the waving statue of Mao Zedong. We stared blankly at the busy traffic in front of us. Our minds went blank. There were many questions that we could not answer at the time. Together, I don’t know where the future is? Is this city our final destination? Which lamp among countless tall buildings belongs to me?

This scene should have been copied in the hearts of countless "Rongpiao people" later.

A few years later, I published a critical report that attracted great attention from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture. Once in the elevator of the Department of Culture, I had an encounter with the director. The director said He read my article and found it to be very good, which made me feel relieved. Later, we had several conversations. When he found out that I was still a "Rong Piao", he suggested that I be transferred to the Department of Culture and work as a reporter for "Sichuan Culture News". So, I got my wish and became a member of this city.

Because I had the foundation of "Sichuan Newspaper" and "Sichuan Cultural News", later, by chance, I went to the TV station again, and Old Tang, like me, was officially transferred to the Sichuan Newspaper Group, and we occasionally During the gathering, I can't help but think of the state of mind I had when I was sitting on the stone steps of Tianfu Square.

No matter when I think back on it, the confusion still reveals a kind of happiness.

After joining the TV station, the scope of my work expanded a lot. I started to interview all over the country. The pace of life accelerated significantly and my work ability also improved a lot. I was able to complete many difficult interview tasks and gained a lot. Quite a few. I remember once I just came back from an interview in Northeast China and went to the Taili cafeteria to get a meal. When the chef saw me, he put down his spoon and kept asking me, how is the person you interviewed?

Over the years, I have taken countless interns from other places. When I see them, I seem to see the shadow of myself when I was young. Although times have changed, they, like me, have made a lot of efforts to realize their dreams and win a small space for their own development.

And in this process, there is always a bright sunshine in our hearts. These sunshine are the light and warmth brought to us by this city and the strangers in this city.

On a new day, I came to work. Before I entered the office, through the large glass partition wall, I saw from a distance a kid from other places who had just joined the job and was dressed very hip-hop. While working, While singing loudly: I want a life in full bloom, just like flying in the vast sky...