It attempts to investigate various news, issues, and scandals, aiming to reveal the social problems and the insufficiencies of state policies.
Together with Oriental Horizon (東方時空), Focus Report (焦點訪談)and Tell It Like It Is (實話實說) News Probe shares the similar reputation in documentary television programmes in China.
One year later, on April 1, 1994, a similar programme Focus Report(焦點訪談), which means a talk show on the hottest topics, was broadcast.
Being an investigative documentary, the News Probe raised the slogan of "hunting the truth", which consists of 2 layers of meaning.
Firstly, to uncover the inside skinny which is concealed by some people or organizations, and those secret incidents which harm the public interest.
News Probe thus also includes some reports involving wrongdoings by governmental departments, such as corruption in the Chinese Police.
Apart from reporters' own finding of the stories, members of the general public can also come forward with information through contacting the production crew directly, via the use of mail, news hotline and email.
Apart from interviewing the involved parties, the crews of News Probe also investigate issues by different methods, such as consulting powerful institutions (for example, they have consulted India Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Protection Organization, India Wildlife Trade Association, International Convention on the Trading of Endangered species and Asia Wild Life Trade Research Committees in the episode of "The death of Tibetan antalope") and people, referring to reference books and studying the issue's history.
These empirical methods enable News Probe to investigate issues in an objective and unbiased manner.
News Probe has been a pioneer, providing a rare voice to investigate the actions of the Chinese government.