Fighting the Pandemic with One Heart — An Alumnus from the School's Share of Anti-Pandemic Experience (2020-03-25)

At the beginning of 2020, a sudden battle against the pandemic erupted across China. The novel coronavirus pneumonia ran rampant, posing a severe threat to the life and health of the general public. The situation in Wuhan tugged at everyone's heartstrings. This was a war without smoke. Whether medical personnel or grassroots workers, the moment the pandemic broke out, they took up their "weapons" and rushed to the front lines. It is precisely because of them that we firmly believe the victory in this war will ultimately belong to us. Among us is also such a member of the School of Languages and Communication Studies, who perfectly embodies the brave and fearless spirit of the anti-pandemic heroes with a highly responsible work ethic and unwavering commitment to his original purpose.

Nazar, a 2013 undergraduate alumnus of the School at Beijing Jiaotong University, now works at the New Media Center of CCTV News, primarily responsible for news video editing. During the special pandemic period, Nazar gave up the chance to reunite with his family far away in Xinjiang during the holiday and chose to remain at his post without hesitation to conduct pandemic prevention publicity work.

Life Changes, Work Focus Shifts

The sudden pandemic drastically changed our daily lives. To curb the virus's spread, supermarkets, restaurants, shopping centers, etc., closed one after another to reduce large-scale human flow, and residents stayed home as much as possible to cooperate with medical staff and community workers.

Along with the changes in life, the work focus of Nazar, engaged in news editing, also shifted. "During the pandemic, we specifically formed a video team dedicated to collecting footage sent by frontline reporters. After repeated editing and refinement by us, the footage was then published on various sub-media platforms of CCTV, such as Kuaishou and Douyin." he explained. Leveraging the features of short online videos—brief duration, easy capture of key information, and wide dissemination—the latest news from the front lines could be delivered to the public with the utmost speed and highest quality, ensuring the timeliness and authority of news facts. This allowed people to stay connected with Wuhan even while staying indoors, simultaneously calming public sentiment, reducing panic, and preventing negative social phenomena like creating, spreading, or believing rumors.

Work Intensity Increases, Original Purpose Remains

"Due to the pandemic and work requirements, I did not return home for the Spring Festival holiday this year. Normally, we work about twelve hours a day. But during this period, the workload has been slightly heavier. If firsthand news from the front lines arrives during our shift, then the day becomes quite busy for everyone. Sometimes, colleagues editing videos by their computers get so tired they fall asleep right at their desks. In critical times, we must contribute our strength, and this is also the original purpose for which we joined this work." Nazar shared.

Recalling the intense work scenes, as if everything were still vivid before his eyes, he continued, "During this pandemic, CCTV dispatched multiple teams of reporters to the front lines in Wuhan. They entered the city a day or two before the lockdown. The firsthand information they sent from the front lines was edited and processed by us, and then the information was released as quickly as possible." Nazar couldn't help but reflect that the heroes on the front lines risk their lives to gather information; compared to them, our job is to do our best to provide solid backup support for them.

When asked about specific challenges in pandemic prevention publicity, Nazar noted that at the beginning of the pandemic, publicity videos received significant attention. However, once most people became relatively familiar with the pandemic's developments, how to select topics to ensure relatively stable viewership and strong publicity effectiveness indeed became a challenge in the work.

Words for Junior Students

"During the pandemic, everyone must pay extra attention to safety. The four years of university are precious. I hope junior students seize opportunities, dare to try new things, and actively participate in social practice activities on the basis of mastering theoretical knowledge, using their achievements to give back to our motherland that nurtures us." Nazar said at the end of the interview. No amount of busy work could keep this senior from caring for his alma mater, so here, he hopes to express his blessings and hopes for it by sending a message to the junior students.

"As a line from Attack on Titan says, it is everyone's choice that together changes the world. There are no heroes who descend from heaven, only ordinary people who step forward when needed. It is the choices made at critical moments and unwavering determination that keep great love from ever leaving. Finally, may our homes and country be safe and secure, and may all teachers and students enjoy smooth work and academic progress! "

Written by: Jing Zhaoyan and Zhang Chi

编译：张天翼