Historiography of journalism, current affairs commentation, and journalism education: Toh Lam Seng’s communication research and practice

Abstract

<p>學者卓南生以新聞史研究和國際時評知名，歷任新加坡《星洲日報》社論委員與《聯合早報》東京特派員；而從上世紀80年代末在日本東京大學新聞研究所任教開始，投身中、日新聞教育三十餘年，迄今仍然以北京大學新聞學研究會為平臺，與青年學子保持對話。代表性著作為1990年、1998年、2002年及2015年出版的《中國近代報業發展史（1815-1874）》，與2010年、2020年出版的《東亞新聞事業論》等。本文從他幼年時期目睹南洋政治的經歷出發，並在日本與亞洲社會的變遷背景下，勾勒出卓南生在史論治學、時評寫作和新聞教育方面的思想觀點；而從中國報業的新聞發生史開始，經過長時期對日本社會、華文報業的親身經驗，及在時事評析與新聞教育中，發展出清晰穩固的亞洲視角，與論從史出的歷史是非觀。</p> <p> </p><p>Toh Lam Seng is a renowned scholar for his research on the history of journalism and a famous international affairs columnist. He worked as an editorial board member of Singapore’s Sin Chew Jit Poh and Lianhe Zaobao’s Tokyo correspondent. Starting from the late 1980s, when he began teaching at the Institute of Journalism and Communication Studies of the University of Tokyo late 1980s, Dr. Toh has been devoting himself in journalism education in China and Japan for more than 30 years. Currently, he still participates in the Institute of Journalism, Peking University and uses it as a platform to engage young scholars and students in dialogues. His representative works include The Beginnings of Modern Chinese Newspapers and their Development in the 19th Century (1815-1874) published in 1990, 1998, 2002, 2015, and East Asian Journalism published in 2010 and 2020. This study starts from Toh’s childhood experience, in which he witnessed the politics of Southeast Asia. Against the backdrop of social changes of Japan and other Asian societies, this study outlines Toh’s thoughts and views on historiography, column writing on international affairs, and journalism education. With his work on the history of the development of newspaper industry in China, his long years of personal experience of Japanese society and Chinese newspaper industry, and his career in international affairs column writing and Journalism education, he developed a clear and stable Asian perspective and an emphasis on historical evidence and critical analysis of history. </p> <p> </p>