China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) beat out nine other universities to claim the team-champion award in a 7-stage journalism competition held on May 22 at the CUPL Changping campus.

The Third Capital University Basic Skill of Journalist Competition and University Media Cultural Festival.

The competition was overseen by the Peking University Campus Newspaper Seminar and organized by the CUPL publicity office.

Officially called the Third Capital University Basic Journalism Competition of the Baotian Cup and University Media Cultural Festival, it required students to compete in seven journalism-skill categories: accuracy in reporting; eloquence and poise; news commentary; performance under deadline; photojournalism; courage in reporting; and one-on-one interviews.

Li Tiezheng, council chairman of the Peking University Campus Newspaper Seminar, said being a responsible and qualified journalist is a vital issue, and every journalist must adhere to high standards. He added that these days anyone can be a propagator, but good journalists have a duty to search for and report the truth.

In the team competition, Beijing Forestry University took second place, and the University of International Business and Economics came in the third. The other participating schools were Peking University, Renmin University, Beijing Normal University, the Communication University of China, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing Language and Culture University, and China Youth University for Political Science. Also, 12 other universities were on hand to observe.

Some well-known scholars, journalists and editors judged the competition, but their identities are secret.

This was the third event that has transformed from a single competition to a pageant of university media communication. In contrast to the two prior, this one included an exhibition of award-winning reporting and photojournalism. In addition, teachers and students interacted with scholars and working journalists in a media forum and a campus newspaper seminar.

Organizers hope the event will give students a stage to hone their talents and exposure to working journalists who can serve as role models and mentors.