Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to Analyze the News Media in the Republic of China: Newsreel

Abstract

China's newsreel was born in the year before the founding of the Republic of China, and developed rapidly during the Republic of China, becoming the mainstream news media at that time. Before the appearance of television, newsreel was the only news media with both audio and video, which had the characteristics of news and movies, was very popular with the audience and was highly valued by the government and personages of all circles. The function of newsreels in the Republic of China is far more than providing news and entertainment. It's more important function is to serve as the propaganda weapon and educational tool of the government. However, the most important reason why newsreels were so popular at that time was that they met the needs of audiences to a greater extent than other news media. This paper uses Maslow's hierarchy of needs and news psychology to study how newsreels in the Republic of China educated audiences, explore the potential relationship between news media and audiences, and analyze how newsreels met the needs of audiences. Studying the influence of newsreels on audiences in the Republic of China can promote the development of current news media.