Profession still gives a voice to the powerless

Chen Feng is a mainland reporter who has witnessed the evolution of his trade. He has seen the power of journalism raise social awareness, but he also feels depressed when he sees injustice.

When and why did you become a reporter?

To be a journalist was the ideal of Chinese graduates in the 1990s. I thought there was freedom and honour in being a reporter. After I graduated in 1994, I became a reporter in Zhengzhou, Henan province.

What was the industry like in the 1990s?

The mainland news industry was very immature at that time. There were only party-run newspapers, and very few independent publications. Newspapers only reported news as propaganda for the Communist Party. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, metropolitan newspapers were launched, with aggressive reporting on social issues and investigative stories of public concern. Since then, mainland journalists have gained greater freedom to report.

What's the turning point of your career as a journalist?

I was deputy editor-in-chief of the Zhengzhou Evening News, but felt there was a lack of press freedom in the hinterland provinces because of censorship. In 2002, I quit and became an investigative journalist with The Southern Metropolis News in Guangdong. Breaking the Sun Zhigang story was the most important moment in my career. In April 2003, I reported on how Sun, a migrant worker, was beaten to death after being detained by police for not carrying identification. The story touched off a wave of public outrage that reached the central government.