Based on the concept of role models from career studies, this research determined whether distinctive journalists influence other journalists by embodying professional ideologies. Based on the case of Hong Kong, we examined this topic by using data from surveys of journalists in 2006 and 2011, and found that respondents having professional role models tended to believe that news had strong social influences. The respondents ranked the professional functions of news to be high and liberal in political attitude. We also found that ideal journalists (role models) nominated by Hong Kong journalists were quite similar in terms of the journalistic paradigm and ideologies, despite their originating from varied societies. By contrast, ideal journalists from Mainland China represent the advocating function of journalism. We determined that the concept of the role model is applicable to studying journalists by providing initial evidence of its significance in journalism studies. The findings of this study establish a foundation for further study on this issue.