In an article in the January 1, 2019 issue of the Party theoretical journal Qiushi (Seeking Truth), Central Propaganda Department Head Huang Kunming (黄坤明) discussed strengthening propaganda and ideological work in the new year, specifically by strengthening the “four forces” (四力) of propaganda work: the foot, the eye, the brain, and the pen. These forces roughly symbolize penetrating the grassroots (the foot), correctly understanding domestic and international trends (the eye), arming the mind with Xi Jinping’s socialism with Chinese characteristic for a new era (the brain), a employing “lively, fresh, and powerful” writing style (the pen). Huang Kunming said the first step to improving the four forces is to improve the political quality of propaganda workers. He urged propaganda workers to enhance the “four consciousnesses” and wrote that “the more thorough their theoretical arms, the more firm their ideals and convictions will be, and the more self-conscious of the Party’s political line they are, the more vigorously they will be able to implement the Party’s political positions.” He called on propaganda workers to master the professional skills of the trade, especially the ability to carry out online propaganda and handling complex issues and emergencies. Huang also called for innovation in the propaganda field, saying that “propaganda work has always been about constantly discovering and resolving problems.” Lastly, he told propaganda workers that it is especially important to improve their writing style, saying they should write more about truth and daily life, use less cliches and exaggerations, and strive to be simple, pragmatic, and realistic so that the masses can understand. He asked propaganda workers to “use the language of the people” and to “adopt styles that the masses can understand and accept.”
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