1st Ld-Writethru: President Xi visits China's national news outlets

President Xi Jinping on Friday visited the People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television (CCTV), the nation's three leading news providers.

While visiting the headquarters of the People's Daily, Xi used the paper's new media broadcasting system to extend Lantern Festival greetings to the public.

During his inspection of the general newsroom, the president encouraged staff to continue to improve the quality of the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

From the broadsheet's new media studio, Xi contacted a staff reporter who is covering poverty relief work in Chixi Village in the city of Ningde in east China's Fujian Province. He talked with the reporter as well as villagers and officials via videolink.

Xi is a former secretary of CPC Ningde Prefectural Committee and continues to pay close attention to poverty relief progress in the village.

The president praised the commitment shown by locals in Ningde to lift themselves out of poverty, and said he hoped that their lives would continue to improve.

Xi expressed his best wishes for the villagers and urged them to follow a path of green development while striving for economic growth and prosperity.

At Xinhua News Agency, the state news agency, Xi visited an exhibition on the agency's history, which covered its development path since it was founded in 1931. On display were an antique radio transmitter and a clockwork dynamo, as well as more cutting-edge devices employed in modern-day news reporting, including a maritime satellite and a drone.

Xi showed approval for Xinhua's transition to a multimedia news service, now providing news products and services in eight languages to the whole world.

Xi later used Xinhua's remote news reporting command system to talk with an agency correspondent currently reporting from a village in Lankao County, Henan Province.

During the conversation, he said that the workstyle of grassroots cadres is integral to the Party's rule and is directly linked to the people's interests. He noted that journalists should undertake more in-depth investigative reporting on this workstyle.

While at Xinhua, Xi was also briefed on the news agency's coverage procedures. After listening to journalists' experience of reporting during the Spring Festival holiday, he encouraged them to be more down to earth in their approach and to report on topics that interest the public.

At Xinhua's new media newsroom, Xi clicked a "Like" button on the agency's mobile app, extending his appreciation to all Chinese journalists for their diligence. Xi was shown news coverage such as the Silk Road Website, a portal that follows the progress of the China-proposed "Belt and Road Initiative," and a photo gallery.

Xi also toured the agency's international news department, reference news department, and other departments.

The final stop on his media tour took Xi to the headquarters of CCTV, the state broadcaster. He visited the control room and made a video call to CCTV's Washington-based North America branch, which opened more than four years ago.

Xi praised the branch for its work and sent his greetings to the staff, 90 percent of whom are Americans.

Xi urged the staff at the branch to make the most of the international platform and introduce the Chinese economy, society and culture to overseas audiences in an objective and lively way, in order to better their understanding of China.

The president was then shown the studio where CCTV Evening News Bulletin, or "Xinwen Lianbo," is filmed. The program, which airs at 7 p.m. every day, has been running for more than 38 years. Xi gained insight into how the production team makes the program, and encouraged them to continue to strive for excellence.

With hundreds of millions of viewers around the world, CCTV must keep abreast of the times, demonstrate a global view and produce more popular programs that are both educational and entertaining, Xi said. Endi