October Newsletter: Global Business Journalism students explore innovation, entrepreneurship and green development; prof enters Hall of Fame
- Rick Dunham
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
GLOBAL BUSINESS JOURNALISM NEWSLETTER
October 2025
We've made it to mid-semester. The campus is turning beautiful shades of crimson and gold as the leaves change colors. You can forgive our students if they are a little bit busy with midterm projects. The journalism school remains an international hub of activity, hosting visits by top officials of the International Center for Journalists, as well as an international health communication forum and a visit from education innovators. Second-year students had a chance to engage in a work-study trip to Inner Mongolia. And our co-director, Rick Dunham, received the honor of a lifetime. There will be lots of news next month, with the annual Tsinghua Business Journalism Forum scheduled for November 12 in Washington, D.C.
But first, here's this month's news...
1. GBJ hosts global innovators from the Network School for cross-cultural dialogue about creativity and learning
GBJ hosted a delegation from the Network School, a global community of entrepreneurs, creators and innovators, on October 22. The visit brought GBJ students together young professionals from diverse backgrounds in a session led by Professor Kuang Kai. Participants described the event as an inspiring afternoon of cross-cultural dialogue about communication, creativity and the future of global learning.
The Network School representatives introduced their community’s philosophy — a unique co-living and co-working model where participants “learn, earn, and burn.” As one of the guests explained, “At the Network School, we live and learn together. It’s 50% product and 50% community — a place where people share ideas, work out and build projects side by side.”
Their model blends professional development, collaboration and personal growth within an international setting that brings together founders, educators and investors from around the world.
The delegation also described its Network School Fellowship, which awards US$100,000 in funding for innovative projects. Based on an island near Singapore, the fellowship aims to build a meritocratic global hub for AI creators and entrepreneurs.
During the discussion, guests and students exchanged views on cultural differences in education, remote versus in-person collaboration and the importance of communication across languages and platforms. Jake from the U.S., a content creator who produces short educational videos, shared: “I’ve made many videos about China, but it’s completely different to finally experience it in person. Being here gives me so many new ideas.”
Professor Kuang noted the alignment between the visitors’ innovative spirit and the GBJ students’ global communication focus. She noted that encounters like this remind us that journalism ultimately serves to connect people and ideas across borders.
“Many of our students are deeply interested in social media, entrepreneurship and digital storytelling,” she said. “Your diverse experiences resonate strongly with what we aim to explore here.”
— Item written by Faezeh Mirzabeh
2. GBJ students listen to discussion of restoring trust in science amid fragmented global communication
The Tsinghua journalism school brought together scholars, journalists and industry professionals on October 26 for an in-depth discussion of health communication in our fragmented global information marketplace.
The speakers from China and the United States reflected on the challenge of restoring public trust in science amid today’s complex information environment. The participants agreed that the future of health communication depends on balancing credibility with empathy, combining innovation, cross-sector collaboration and ethical responsibility to strengthen public understanding of science and health.
Professors and students from the GBJ program participated in the discussion session, chaired by Professor Hang Min, Associate Dean of the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication. The school's session was part of the 4th Global Development and Health Communication Forum, hosted by Tsinghua’s Global Development and Health Communication Center.
Speakers hosted by the journalism school were:
●Chen Xiaojing, Senior Vice President and Head of Government & Corporate Affairs, Eli Lilly China
● GBJ professor Lee Miller, Editor-at-large, Bloomberg News
● Huang Shan, Director and Senior Fellow, Caixin Insight
● Li Zhihui, Associate Professor, Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University
● Kuang Kai, Associate Professor, Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication; Assistant to the Dean, Xinhua Institute for International Communication Studies, Tsinghua University
●Patrick Butler, Senior Vice President for Content and Community, International Center for Journalists
● Paul Rothman, Senior Program Director, International Center for Journalists
Professor Miller emphasized the power of the media to build “credibility, reliability, and accuracy” and to create meaningful public discourse around health. Huang Shan added that “business journals…can really affect the discourse of public health.” Professor Li underscored the importance of targeted messaging: “It’s really important to know what different people care about to use different touch points and to reach them.”
Professor Kuang Kai noted that the way health issues are framed directly influences public perception and the spread of misinformation, especially given the high level of uncertainty inherent in science. ICFJ's Butler highlighted that journalists must act as translators between experts and the public, adding that people tend to trust local, community-based media and reporters who bring health stories closer to everyday life.
Panelists in the second session discussed the role of new media technologies and storytelling in reshaping public understanding of health. Eli Lilly's Chen stressed that effective communication, particularly in China, is required to respect local laws. She also raised an ethical issue of patient privacy, noting that ethical storytelling is vital to reducing stigma.
Huang shared how Caixin employs digital and AI tools to make complex stories more accessible to audiences despite the dual pressures of regulation and public demand. Professor Miller pointed out that journalists face increasing pressure to process vast volumes of information in real time, while Professor Kuang reminded the audience that changing stigmas require not only raising awareness of problems but motivating actions in response.
During the third session — “Regulation and Ethics: The Sustainable Development of Health Communication" — speakers emphasized integrity, transparency and accountability as cornerstones of sustainable health communication.
ICFJ's Butler urged journalists to “minimize harm, act independently and be transparent,” especially when reporting on personal health stories, and stressed the importance of trusted local media as bridges between experts and the public. His ICFJ colleague Paul Rothman encouraged digital and social content creators to follow ethical guidelines, noting that they now shape public understanding alongside traditional journalists.
— Item written by Milena Kuzhakova
GBJ students head to Inner Mongolia to see China's green transition
Students from the Global Business Journalism program joined diplomats and foreign experts in a four-day visit to Inner Mongolia’s Jungar Banner area to study how China’s county-level development is being communicated to global audiences.
The delegation conducted site visits to observe ecological restoration and local industry. In Nuanshui town, which was once a barren area that suffered frequent droughts, the group saw 2,300 mu (about 380 acres) of apple orchards now producing roughly 10 million yuan in annual output.
Former UN Under-Secretary-General Erik Solheim, in a video message, praised the green-development principle as “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” adding that Inner Mongolia is at the forefront of China’s green transition with lessons for global development.
Cultural industry and craftsmanship were also part of the itinerary. At Guoli Ceramics Co., visitors were shown how traditional processes are combined with modern techniques.
“The factory demonstrated how traditional culture can be given new life, with pieces that looked like artworks which also includes Mongolian elements,” said Jhane Cago, a GBJ student.
A Hall of Fame professor
Rick Dunham was inducted into the Central High School Alumni Hall of Fame at a venue overlooking the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on Philadelphia's Delaware River.
GBJ has a Hall of Famer on its faculty. Global Business Journalism program co-director Rick Dunham was one of eight alumni of Philadelphia's Central High School to be inducted into its alumni Hall of Fame on October 29. Central is the second-oldest public high school in the United States, and only 153 graduates have been chosen for the prestigious honor in the school's 189-year history. Among the other honorees have been Nobel Peace prize winners, U.S. senators and state lawmakers, world-famous artists, actors and musicians, inventors and industrialists, lawyers and judges, business and religious leaders, philanthropists and educators, writers and journalists.
In his remarks, Professor Dunham, a 1974 graduate, said his high school education was a pivotal experience in his life that transformed a "very short, very shy freshman" into an emerging journalist.
"Central contributed to my success by teaching me how to think," he told the audience, which included his two brothers and wife Pam Tobey, a fellow Tsinghua University visiting professor. "I learned a lot of facts during my years at Central. But much more importantly, I learned to think critically, to think analytically, to question conventional wisdom and to question authority.
"Central also taught me how to work well with people from diverse backgrounds and to treasure diversity in society. Those lessons shaped my behavior for the rest of my life."
>>> Enter the Central High School virtual Hall of Fame
Tobey Award nominations are in; final announcement coming November 12
The first Pamela Tobey Award for Excellence in Visual Storytelling, honoring GBJ visiting professor Pam Tobey, will be handed out during the Tsinghua Business Journalism Forum at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on November 12.
GBJ co-directors Hang Min and Rick Dunham will be joined by journalism school international administrator Chengzhang Li at the ceremony. The National Press Club Journalism Institute is administering the award and will be represented by director Beth Francesco and president Ed Kelley, the dean emeritus of the Gaylord School of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma.
Nominations for the inaugural Tobey Award closed on October 28. Judges will choose from among 15 finalists in early November.
The award was created after donations by Professor Dunham and the Collins Family Foundation of Dallas. Professor Dunham is matching all individual donations to the Tobey Award endowment fund through the end of 2025. You can donate via the National Press Club Journalism Institute website. Just click on the drop-down box "Apply my donation to" and choose "Pam Tobey Award." The matching gift campaign has already raised almost US$8,000 for the endowment.
The beauty of autumn at Tsinghua
A photo gallery by Chelsea Tanudjaya
7. What time is it? Time to apply to GBJ!
It’s time! As the calendar turns from October to November, that means we're recruiting for the next class of Global Business Journalism students.
Applications are now open for the 2026-2027 Global Business Journalism class. Our website has a wealth of information on the application process, the program (of course) and FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about GBJ. There’s also a link to the Tsinghua graduate admissions page. It’s an all-in-one GBJ admissions center.
If you have any friends who are university seniors or mid-career journalists who might be interested in a multicultural experience in the top English language journalism master's program in China, let them know about GBJ.
Check out our latest news updates from GlobalBusinessJournalism.com
Here are some stories we've published on our website in the past month, in case you've missed them:
Global Business Journalism Lecture Series
Dysfunctional democracy: U.S. government shutdown stems from partisan struggle, CNBC correspondent Emily Wilkins explains
Neutrality does not exist in journalism, Xinhua correspondent Deng Xianlai tells GBJ students. His goal: "to serve the country."
When geopolitics meets journalism: Shamim Zakaria says media often oversimplifies complex global relationships
Other headlines
Tariffs explained: A short video from Global Business Journalism
10 essential tips to report on personal finance
5 essential tips for international students in China
How AI will change your life at work and home – and even might create your digital twin
GBJ students explore green transition in Inner Mongolia's Jungar Banner
Thanks for reading the GBJ newsletter. We'll be back with more news and updates from students, alumni and faculty next month. If you want to be the first to read each GBJ newsletter, subscribe here and receive an email notification when a new newsletter is published.
