This article selects innovative journalism papers in addressing research questions, offering unique perspectives, and employing novel argumentation methods from nearly 30 Chinese academic journals (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) published in 2024. In 2024, Chinese journalism research maintained a relatively stable focus on topics and continue advancing through innovative perspectives. Firstly, research on journalism theory, news production,media convergence, journalistic practitioners, and audience engagement has supported the core foundation of news knowledge production over the past year. Secondly, with the continuous reshaping of news practice by digital communication technology, theoretical explorations on journalism business models and diverse storytelling techniques have returned to the forefront of journalism research. In addition, researchers have made significant progress in tracking and comparing innovative practices in Chinese journalism, critiquing and revisiting classic journalism concepts, conducting cross-disciplinary research between journalism history and socio-political history, and exploring issues such as gender representation in news and its role in society.

This article adopts key criteria such as problem-oriented research awareness, practical concerns, theoretical perspectives, and methodological rigor to analyze the state of communication studies in China in 2024. Based on a selection of 148 studies from 18 Chinese academic journals (including those from Hong Kong and Taiwan), it categorizes the research into eleven thematic areas: the continuity and transformation of communication research paradigms, human-machine communication and human-machine relationships, critical algorithm studies, platform labor and digital nomadism, health communication, digital interactions, media memory, rural governance in the digital era, parenting practices and aging in a mediatic age, the media practices of marginalized groups, and media materiality. These topics collectively outline the knowledge landscape of Chinese communication research last year.

The year 2024 marks not only the 30th anniversary of China’s full access to Internet services but also a pivotal moment in the accelerated development of generative artificial intelligence technologies and applications. This year has witnessed extensive scholarly discussions and in-depth analyses on topics such as knowledge production and human-computer relationships in the context of generative AI. Guided by criteria including topical relevance, theoretical innovation, and research depth, this article identifies five key themes from new media research published in core journals in 2024: the transformation of the knowledge production paradigm driven by generative AI, evolving dynamics and challenges in human-computer relationships, cross-disciplinary interactions and innovative emotional practices in the AI era, studies on digital nomadism, and research on micro-short dramas. By categorizing and briefly reviewing these themes, this article aims to provide a structured overview that serves as a reference for future research in the field.

In 2024, the study of Marxism Journalistic Views in China continued to revisit the fundamentals and innovate, yielding considerable results and demonstrating academic consciousness. Numerous studies have returned to the classic texts of Marxism, examining and rethinking the revolutionary leaders’ newspaper practices and journalistic thoughts, clarifying the origins and tracing back to the source. Regarding the CPC’s journalism endeavors guided by Marxist journalistic views, scholars have continuously deepened their exploration from multiple dimensions, significantly expanding the scope of research on Marxist journalism. Meanwhile, an increasing number of studies have focused on the present, integrating theory and practice, and discussing the new development of Marxist journalism in the new era, showing a distinct characteristic of “integration of essence and application”. Looking forward, the academic community should continuously promote the study of Marxism Journalistic Views to reach new heights and achieve new developments in the great journey of China’s modernization.

During the period of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War (1931-1945), the guerrilla warfare tactics employed by the Chinese Communist Party constituted not only a military strategy but also a philosophical and speculative approach to social organization. The contradiction between mobility and stability addressed by this approach embodies the dialectical relationship between absolute motion and relative stasis in the development of phenomena. Guerrilla journalism, originating from guerrilla warfare, has been previously studied in the context of its highly fluid characteristics during the Anti-Japanese War period. However, scant attention has been devoted to the discussion of how to reconcile the dialectical relationship between mobile operations and stable functioning in the process of journalism. Through an analysis of relevant historical materials from the Xinhua Daily (North China Edition), this paper argues that the news gathering and editing format, the production of media materials, and the establishment of a diversified distribution network in guerrilla journalism, to a certain extent, overcame the contradiction between mobility and stability in the base areas. It demonstrated a unique approach to addressing materiality issues in media, enabling the coordination of media dissemination in time and space within the border region, thereby uniting the revolutionary community of military and civilians in the base area. Furthermore, as the wartime situation continued to evolve, this approach facilitated the more effective fulfillment of the communication function of connecting with the masses and mobilizing revolution. This flexible mode of dialectical thinking and practical activity serves as both a manifestation of China's independent and indigenous journalism theoretical system and an integral component of the formation of the Chinese path to modernization historical experience.

In contrast to western research on “digital disconnection”, which focuses on the digital “connection” or “disconnection” from the perspective of technology-based individual use, this paper explores the concept of “alienated connections”. It situates the disconnection practices within social media when the Chinese cultural context of guanxi, and focusing on the reconnection between contemporary youth who influenced by individual culture and their family and acquaintances in the context of guanxi-individualization, as well as the change of differential mode of association. In the horizontal, parallel relationships with family members and zijiaren (one of us), the traditional emphasis on deferring to parents (“obliged affection”) is no longer prominent. This has been replaced by “natural affection” expressed through intimacy without respect and the construction of pattern of “filial piety but disobedience”. Conversely, within the vertical hierarchical structure, the rule of renqing and mianzi continue to serve as strong forces in interaction. The inherent “order” structure of superiors and subordinates remains intact, manifesting itself as expressions of “obliged affection” characterized by respect without intimacy. In parallel acquaintance relationships, the intertwining of instrumental and emotional dimensions jointly determines the direction of the relationship. Under the mediation effect of digital media, the “internet-based relationship” established with potential relationships has become a new form of online acquaintance relationship. On the one hand, instrumental considerations cause such relationships tend to become distant. On the other hand, “natural affection” has become dynamics of such relationships to be close. In short, “alienated connections” is a coupling relationship strategy between individualization (self-culture) and guanxi culture for contemporary youth in the context of guanxi-individualization. “Alienated connections” not only aligns with Chinese practice between the guanxi structure and the process of individualization, but also has the theoretical potential for further dialogue with the western concept of “disconnection”.

Empathy is an important factor in revealing how individual emotions connect in the era of globalization, and has important constructive significance for “communities”. Children are often visual hooks that evoke empathy. This study was based on eye-tracking technology in communication physiology and psychology research. A 2 (children’s visual frame: with vs.without children) × 2 (photo caption: with vs. without photo caption) × 2 (graphicness level:high vs. low) three-factor mixed experimental design was conducted to explore the mechanism of the influence of children’s visual frame, photo caption and graphicness level in news images on individual attention and empathy. The results showed that 1) children’s visual frame significantly aroused attention, but did not evoke empathy; 2) the dual pathways in the ELM could produce adaptive changes in the field of risk communication, and dynamic and fluid cognitive path judgments were more consistent with current risk communication situations;3) the high graphicness of news images did not trigger individual attention, in addition to instantaneous effects, attention should also be paid to their long-term effects.

International communication should not only emphasize “what” and “how” to say, but also the creation and maintenance of “relationship”. Utilizing the exponential random graph model (ERGM) as a framework and taking the “Belt and Road” issue as a case, this study investigates the impact of “emotion” and “identity” attributes of media organizations on the creation of relationships between media accounts on X(Twitter). The results show that, from the perspective of emotion, negative emotion inhibits the sending of interactions, that is, media dominated by negative emotion show a tendency of monologue-style speech; positive emotion has a homogeneous effect, and media dominated by positive emotion forms a tightly-connected “emotional community”. From the perspective of identity, the identity of “Media in Belt and Road Cooperation Countries” facilitates the sending of interactions; the common regional identity has a homogeneous effect, which results in the creation of a closely-knit “regional identity community”. Theoretically, the study elucidates the mechanisms by which emotions and identity attributes influence interactions among media. Practically, the study provides insights into how to conduct international communication from a “relational” perspective.