Chapter 37 Shao Piaoping: The former "Beijing News", a member of the old times (1)

Shao Piaoping (1886-1926) was born in Dongyang, Zhejiang Province. His name was Zhenqing, and his style name was Piaoping. He was a famous reporter and the founder of "Beijing News". Before his execution, Tan Sitong sang loudly: "I smile to the sky from the sword, and I will leave Kunlun with my heart and gall."The laughter in the modern Chinese political arena is probably unmatched.That was 1898. Twenty-eight years later, on a night when the dawn was about to dew, at the Beijing Tianqiao Execution Ground, the most heroic laughter of the Chinese press erupted before the gunshots.

People: Shao Piaoping; Newspaper: "Beijing News". Before his execution, Shao Piaoping bowed his hands to the prison officer and said: "Everyone is free!" Then he laughed a few times, and he died calmly; The sky laughed wildly two or three times, and was pushed to the ground by the two soldiers..."; or, before he was executed, he just smiled slightly, with a calm mind. The crime is very "simple": "Shao Zhenqing, the president of the Beijing News, colluded with Red Russia and publicized the redness. The crime is extremely heinous and unforgivable, and he will be executed immediately." Zhang Xueliang's "loyalty and filial piety dilemma", and refunded Zhang Zuolin's 300,000 yuan "hush fee", saying to himself, "Zhang Zuolin offered 300,000 yuan to buy me. I don't want this kind of money, and I don't want to be shot!"

Shao Piaoping has his own capital of being proud of a prince: even by today's journalistic standards, he also represents the highest professional standard of journalists. In Practical Applied Journalism, one of the earliest works on journalism in China, Shao Piaoping advocated that journalists “have their minds never resting, their eyes and ears are always on guard, and they are looking for everything in the world and waiting for it to change”. In March 1917, before the decision to sever diplomatic relations between China and Germany was officially announced, he practiced this idea. On that day, Shao Piaoping overheard a call from the servant of the State Council informing the US envoy that Prime Minister Duan Qirui would visit the US embassy in the afternoon.This phone call immediately touched his news nerves, reminding him that when the United States and Germany broke off diplomatic relations, the United States would definitely win over China, so the meeting with Duan Qirui at this time is likely to involve Sino-German relations.So he came to the U.S. embassy first, and asked a counselor directly about the purpose and content of the meeting.After such falsehoods, he actually inquired about the relevant instructions of the US government to his embassy.Then he rushed back to the State Council and told Duan Qirui that he already knew the inside story, and now he hopes to know the exact date of the severance of diplomatic relations between China and Germany.Finally, he got this exclusive insider news as he wished.

Famous journalist Zhang Jiluan commented: "When Piaoping encounters major domestic and foreign affairs, it feels the first, and the interview must be done. Beijing's top officials hate journalists, and Piaoping alone can make them have to see, and they have to talk about it. The number of words has got the point. There are those who are jealous when they are doing it, or they disclose it in a subtle way, or criticize it bluntly, and the bureaucrats are nothing like it." In 1916, Shi Liangcai, the president of Shanghai Shenbao, hired Shao Piaoping as a special correspondent stationed in Beijing, making him the first reporter in the history of Chinese journalism to enjoy the title of "special dispatch".Two years later, he created the "Beijing News" by himself. In the founding article "Why This Newspaper Was Born", he clearly stated the purpose of running the newspaper: "It is necessary to make the government obey the legitimate public opinion, which is the purpose of this newspaper." What you do."

How does the government obey the will of the people?Back then, Shao Piaoping tried her best to break through a restricted area of ​​the news and announced the contents of the cabinet meeting to the public.The government wanted to stop it, but under Shao Piaoping's efforts, the secret of the cabinet meeting was finally made public, and it became a regular news every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for the first news agency he founded in China --- "Beijing News Compilation Agency".