【Article by IMICS】
The College of Communication’s EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) course, TV News Introduction and Voice Projection, hosted a special lecture titled Stories Across Borders: How Diverse Experiences Shape My Career and Creativity by Mr. Hsiang Dun-Wei (向敦維), the Section Chief from Mirror TV (MNews) (鏡新聞), at National Chengchi University on October 2, 2024. The guest lecture focused on the important qualities that media practitioners should have besides professional skills.
Mr. Hsiang shared that his entry into the news industry was unexpected. After graduating with a degree in French and returning from Madagascar, where he spent four months facilitating collaboration between Taiwanese business people and local government agencies, he struggled to find a job. When he received a job invitation from his friend who worked in the media industry, he quickly accepted it without hesitation.
“The first month was indeed the hardest, especially working in a fast-paced environment under a strict supervisor, without the professional skills others had learned at university,” said Mr. Hsiang, the former Deputy Section Chief in SET News.
However, he realized that handling a news story is way beyond just professional skills. He described news production as similar to cooking, where all media outlets may have access to the same ingredients, but the skill lies in creating layers of flavor and depth to make the final product stand out.
“There are four important points that I always remind myself of while working on news, such as innovation, perspective-taking, acumen to news, and asking questions,” said Mr. Hsiang, the Section Chief in MNews.
Adhering to the four points made it possible to engage audiences by offering key takeaways that they found necessary. He also mentioned to the students that future media practitioners should provide audiences with fresh perspectives to consider instead of merely following what others say.
Besides his work in news reporting, Mr. Hsiang is also a freelance illustrator, using his artistic skills to create captivating graphics for books and social media. He also utilized his skills to develop graphics and artwork for news stories, helping to facilitate audience understanding and engagement.
“The professional skills learned at university are important, but developing diverse interests and experiences can make you innovative and set you apart,” said Mr. Hsiang, also the owner of the Instagram account @elvert520, where he shares his artwork.
The talk was moderated by Lecturer Kiki Wang Mon-Chi and attended by over 20 students, including both local and international students.（Author: Andrew Yeng, Third-year Student of the Doctoral Program in the College of Communication）