Yin-Ting Mak: The Internet plays a large role in compelling the traditional media to change. Traditional media will feel the pressure if it fails to report what the Internet has reported. People won’t read newspapers and magazines if they do not report what the Internet has reported.
Cao Changqing: Newspapers have to cater to their readers, who are their “gods.” They will not select newspapers that do not report the truth.
Liu Xiaobo: As the online media has become increasingly free of restrictions, traditional media has realized that, even if it does not report or get involved in something, the online media will. As a result, it has been using the strategy of “touching the outer edge of the penalty area” in news reporting.
Yin-Ting Mak is the former chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Cao Changqing is the former deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Youth News, and Liu Xiaobo is a writer and freelancer.
MANDARIN: Internet and Civil Rights in China (06/07/07)
Length: 11:02
(Music)
Wu Jing: Dear listeners, over the last few years more and more Chinese have chosen to stay away from newspapers and magazines, and instead log on to the Internet for daily news. In our last program, we discussed how the Internet has helped Chinese citizens overcome information censorship imposed by the Chinese government and how Chinese citizens have extended their right to information. The citizens’ right to information is based on freedom of information. We know what the Chinese government’s attitude toward freedom of information is. The Chinese media is another major body which provides information to the public. To what extent has it met Chinese citizens’ quest for information? The topic we are going to discuss is the online media’s challenge to newspapers and magazines, especially on the credibility issue, and how the two have been competing for market share.
(Music)
Wu Jing: Let’s discuss the credibility issue first.
Yin-Ting Mak: The Internet plays a large role in compelling the traditional media to change. Traditional media will feel the pressure if it fails to report what the Internet has reported. People won’t read newspapers and magazines if they do not report what the Internet has reported.
Cao Changqing: Newspapers have to cater to their readers, who are their “gods.” They will not select newspapers that do not report the truth.
Liu Xiaobo: As the online media has become increasingly free of restrictions, traditional media has realized that, even if it does not report or get involved in something, the online media will. As a result, it has been using the strategy of “touching the outer edge of the penalty area” in news reporting.
Wu Jing: Yin-Ting Mak is the former chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Cao Changqing is the former deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Youth News, and Liu Xiaobo is a writer and freelancer. The media has to base itself on credibility. The Chinese media has been in a credibility crisis since long before the advent of the Internet. Please listen to comments by some Internet users.
Male Voice 1: Newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations all have credibility problems, as they have many limitations.
Wu Jing: The speaker is an editor of a magazine in Fujian province,
Male Voice 1: They are run by the propaganda departments of the party and have to report positive news.
Male Voice 2: Print media is under the strict control of the propaganda departments of the party.
Wu Jing: The speaker’s name is Li Xinde. He is the webmaster of Watchdog Net of Citizens and Public Opinion.
Male Voice 2: Every media outlet is under the control of a “mother-in-law.” Though it is independent as a corporation, it has to face very strict censorship.
Wu Jing: The next speaker’s name is Wu Xiande. He is the webmaster of Migrant Workers’ Net.
Wu Xiande: I have read the most recent issues of some newspapers and magazines. What they have published is stereotypical news. They do not report what is really going on in our society.
Wu Jing: His comments represent the public’s views of the traditional media: It has failed to provide information and report the truth. There is too much propaganda and too many stereotypical expressions. Journalists, experts, and scholars have also pointed out the problems of the Chinese media from different professional angles. Hong Kong journalist Yin-Ting Mak said that mainland newspapers and magazines run by the government have deliberately omitted major social news.
Yin-Ting Mak: Mainland media is controlled by the propaganda department of the central committee of the party. As a matter of fact, the government itself has omitted a great deal of news. It possesses a lot of information but has told the public very little. The person who wields power is unwilling to give you all the information he has. He will only tell you what is in his best interest for you to know.
Wu Jing: An Qi, who has worked as a reporter and editor at a number of newspapers in China, is studying journalism in France. She described the bans imposed by the propaganda department of the central committee of the party on news reporting.
An Qi: According to the propaganda department of the central committee of the party, there are 21 bans: no stories on unemployment, no stories on the upsurge of migrant workers…Radio stations are not allowed to report on workers’ strikes in foreign countries.
Wu Jing: He Qinglian, a former reporter at Shenzhen Legal News and an expert on Chinese media, is studying in the United States. She revealed how Chinese newspapers fabricated news at the government’s direction.
He Qinglian: I was in Shenzhen in 1993. On August 5 of that year, there was a big explosion. The local media was instructed to report that only three persons died in the explosion, and the loss of property was less than 30 million yuan. I remember the pictures taken at the scene showed dozens of dead bodies, but the news reports said that only three people died.
(Music)
Wu Jing: The traditional media has deliberately omitted major news or published false reports. It has lost the confidence of the people. An Qi said:
An Qi: The media is no longer performing its core function of taking part in political discussions and serving as a watchdog. As it has been reduced to a tool used by the government, its credibility has been completely undermined.
Wu Jing: She also pointed out the reason for the damaged credibility of the traditional media.
An Qi: It remains a mouthpiece that sings the praises of the government, while the people do not enjoy the right to information.
Wu Jing: The traditional media in China has lost its credibility as it has turned a blind eye to major issues and has kept silent on topics of general interest. The China it has presented in its stories is unreal, and this has become a standing joke. By comparison, the online media has displayed a “real China” for the people. Wang Yi, a law professor at Chengdu University and a well-known online writer, said:
Wang Yi: Since the beginning of online media, there have been two totally different pictures of China. The print media has been portraying one China while the online media has been portraying another China. The print media and the online media belong to two separate and different worlds, and the topics they have been reporting or heatedly discussing are also totally different. A great number of people have taken part in heated online discussions, and what they have said has had a great impact. On the contrary, the print media has remained virtually silent, and no one cares what it has said.
Wu Jing: Since the Chinese media does not enjoy freedom of the press, it has to present an unreal China in its reports. This is why it has a very low credibility. Jiao Guobiao, a former associate professor at the Department of Journalism of Beijing University, said:
Jiao Guobiao: The media does not have the power to decide whether an article can be published. If its supervisor says no, it will have to follow his order. In this regard, the media does not enjoy any freedom.
Wu Jing: But things with the online media are different. One is not required to use one’s real name on the Internet, and the release of information is not under any control. As a result, people can fully enjoy the freedom to disseminate information and the right of access to information at the same time. Everyone can go to the online media and release information, as the Internet is open to ordinary people. Internet users read online news and release information, as well. Hong Kong journalist Yin-Ting Mak referred to them as citizen reporters on the Internet.
Yin-Ting Mak: As a matter of fact, every one of them plays the role of a citizen reporter. On the Internet, one posts both the good and bad events one has witnessed, and the information is quickly spread to families through the Internet.
Wu Jing: Though the form and content of the online media present an entirely new world to the people, at first, the newspapers and magazines run by the government thought nothing of the challenge to their credibility which was posed by the online media. At that time, those newspapers and magazines had a mentality similar to that of an emperor’s daughter: no need to worry about finding a husband. Online writer Wang Yi said:
Wang Yi: Though the print media cannot report freely because of the rules, at that time it still had a sense of superiority and enjoyed an advantage over the online media in terms of market share and profit, as the online media had not yet become an obvious threat. The print media was not interested in reporting the hot topics covered by the online media and regarded them as alien to its own world.
Wu Jing: However, with the participation of citizen reporters and the publication of all the articles they have submitted, the online media has been the first on major stories on many occasions. It has been exceptionally good at reporting unexpected or sensitive social events. In 2003, the online media posed a major challenge to the traditional media. There were a number of major events in 2003, and the online media outstripped the traditional media by being the first in reporting those events. Wang Yi said:
Wang Yi: The outbreak of SARS and the case of Sun Zhigang in 2003 clearly showed the challenge.
Wu Jing: Cao Changqing, a former deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Youth News, said:
Cao Changqing: The reporting on SARS is a clear example. The government told the media to keep quiet on the outbreak of SARS for the sake of China’s stability and image, and this lasted for more than four months. The four-odd months were critical to wiping out SARS at an early stage, but some 2,000 newspapers, nearly100 television stations, and up to 10,000 magazines in China all remained silent.
(Music)
Wu Jing: SARS spread quickly in China and then to other parts of the world because of information censorship imposed by the Chinese government.
(Music)
Wu Jing: Jiang Yanyong, a medical officer in Beijing, decided to tell the world the truth about SARS in China. His article was first posted on Time magazine’s Web site in the United States. After that, other Web sites vied with one another in re-posting it. Online information and public opinion put pressure on the Chinese government, and, as a result, the outbreak of SARS in China was made public, and a nationwide battle against SARS was launched.
Wu Jing: Liu Xiaobo, a writer and freelancer in Beijing, talked about the case of Sun Zhigang, another major incident of nationwide importance in 2003. He said that the disclosure and discussion of the incident and the subsequent policy adjustment were closely related to the information and public opinion voiced on the Internet.
Liu Xiaopo: The case of Sun Zhigang caused wide repercussions on the Internet. It generated a wave of appeals and signed petitions. Finally, some legal experts and well-known intellectuals joined others in exerting pressure on the top leaders by writing to them directly.
Wu Jing: The online media has broken new ground in providing citizens with accurate information in its unique way. Some people have questioned the reliability of online news, which is posted on the Internet without listing the writers’ real names, or have criticized the online media for spreading fabricated news. But judging by the contest between the traditional media and the online media in the last few yeas, one can tell that the truthfulness and credibility of the online media has greatly outstripped that of the traditional media, and the online media has become something that the newspapers and magazines run by the government cannot afford to overlook. Online writer Wang Yi said:
Wang Yi: Traditional media has felt the pressure. It has to consider its moral responsibility, as well as profit, and cannot remain silent on events of great social impact.
Wu Jing: Chinese readers have to choose between the new, online media and the traditional print media. Since journalism in China has become market-oriented, the media has to market its products to its readers, and credibility is the reputation of its products. The readership of the new online media is growing, while that of the old traditional media is declining. This shows that the Internet has the advantage of promoting the right to information and has compelled the traditional media to change. Hong Kong journalist Yin-Ting Mak said:
Yin-Ting Mak: The heat is on the traditional media. If it fails to report something that the online media has reported, readers will raise questions and stop reading it. Then the traditional media will lose its market share, and its role will diminish.
(Music)
Wu Jing: Dear listeners, the Internet has become an important source of news for the Chinese people, and some Internet users have even said that it is their most important source. The online media has challenged the traditional media on the issue of credibility. In our next program we’ll discuss how the online media is challenging the traditional media on the issue of market share. This is the end of today’s program. I’m Wu Jing. Thanks for joining us. I look forward to having you with us for our next program.
(Music)
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Filed under: cantonese, China | Tagged: 2008_olympics, china_civilrights, china_civil_rights, china_environment, china_graft, china_humanrights, china_internet, china_law, china_media, china_property, china_rights, china_unrest, commentary, East Asia, east_asia, fujian, governance, HongKong, hong_kong, media, nailhouse, nail_house, one_child_policy, public_health, radio_free_asia |
RFA News in English
Panel discussion on press freedom and the Internet in China
MANDARIN: Internet and Civil Rights in China (06/07/07)
Length: 11:02
(Music)
Wu Jing: Dear listeners, over the last few years more and more Chinese have chosen to stay away from newspapers and magazines, and instead log on to the Internet for daily news. In our last program, we discussed how the Internet has helped Chinese citizens overcome information censorship imposed by the Chinese government and how Chinese citizens have extended their right to information. The citizens’ right to information is based on freedom of information. We know what the Chinese government’s attitude toward freedom of information is. The Chinese media is another major body which provides information to the public. To what extent has it met Chinese citizens’ quest for information? The topic we are going to discuss is the online media’s challenge to newspapers and magazines, especially on the credibility issue, and how the two have been competing for market share.
(Music)
Wu Jing: Let’s discuss the credibility issue first.
Yin-Ting Mak: The Internet plays a large role in compelling the traditional media to change. Traditional media will feel the pressure if it fails to report what the Internet has reported. People won’t read newspapers and magazines if they do not report what the Internet has reported.
Cao Changqing: Newspapers have to cater to their readers, who are their “gods.” They will not select newspapers that do not report the truth.
Liu Xiaobo: As the online media has become increasingly free of restrictions, traditional media has realized that, even if it does not report or get involved in something, the online media will. As a result, it has been using the strategy of “touching the outer edge of the penalty area” in news reporting.
Wu Jing: Yin-Ting Mak is the former chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Cao Changqing is the former deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Youth News, and Liu Xiaobo is a writer and freelancer. The media has to base itself on credibility. The Chinese media has been in a credibility crisis since long before the advent of the Internet. Please listen to comments by some Internet users.
Male Voice 1: Newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations all have credibility problems, as they have many limitations.
Wu Jing: The speaker is an editor of a magazine in Fujian province,
Male Voice 1: They are run by the propaganda departments of the party and have to report positive news.
Male Voice 2: Print media is under the strict control of the propaganda departments of the party.
Wu Jing: The speaker’s name is Li Xinde. He is the webmaster of Watchdog Net of Citizens and Public Opinion.
Male Voice 2: Every media outlet is under the control of a “mother-in-law.” Though it is independent as a corporation, it has to face very strict censorship.
Wu Jing: The next speaker’s name is Wu Xiande. He is the webmaster of Migrant Workers’ Net.
Wu Xiande: I have read the most recent issues of some newspapers and magazines. What they have published is stereotypical news. They do not report what is really going on in our society.
Wu Jing: His comments represent the public’s views of the traditional media: It has failed to provide information and report the truth. There is too much propaganda and too many stereotypical expressions. Journalists, experts, and scholars have also pointed out the problems of the Chinese media from different professional angles. Hong Kong journalist Yin-Ting Mak said that mainland newspapers and magazines run by the government have deliberately omitted major social news.
Yin-Ting Mak: Mainland media is controlled by the propaganda department of the central committee of the party. As a matter of fact, the government itself has omitted a great deal of news. It possesses a lot of information but has told the public very little. The person who wields power is unwilling to give you all the information he has. He will only tell you what is in his best interest for you to know.
Wu Jing: An Qi, who has worked as a reporter and editor at a number of newspapers in China, is studying journalism in France. She described the bans imposed by the propaganda department of the central committee of the party on news reporting.
An Qi: According to the propaganda department of the central committee of the party, there are 21 bans: no stories on unemployment, no stories on the upsurge of migrant workers…Radio stations are not allowed to report on workers’ strikes in foreign countries.
Wu Jing: He Qinglian, a former reporter at Shenzhen Legal News and an expert on Chinese media, is studying in the United States. She revealed how Chinese newspapers fabricated news at the government’s direction.
He Qinglian: I was in Shenzhen in 1993. On August 5 of that year, there was a big explosion. The local media was instructed to report that only three persons died in the explosion, and the loss of property was less than 30 million yuan. I remember the pictures taken at the scene showed dozens of dead bodies, but the news reports said that only three people died.
(Music)
Wu Jing: The traditional media has deliberately omitted major news or published false reports. It has lost the confidence of the people. An Qi said:
An Qi: The media is no longer performing its core function of taking part in political discussions and serving as a watchdog. As it has been reduced to a tool used by the government, its credibility has been completely undermined.
Wu Jing: She also pointed out the reason for the damaged credibility of the traditional media.
An Qi: It remains a mouthpiece that sings the praises of the government, while the people do not enjoy the right to information.
Wu Jing: The traditional media in China has lost its credibility as it has turned a blind eye to major issues and has kept silent on topics of general interest. The China it has presented in its stories is unreal, and this has become a standing joke. By comparison, the online media has displayed a “real China” for the people. Wang Yi, a law professor at Chengdu University and a well-known online writer, said:
Wang Yi: Since the beginning of online media, there have been two totally different pictures of China. The print media has been portraying one China while the online media has been portraying another China. The print media and the online media belong to two separate and different worlds, and the topics they have been reporting or heatedly discussing are also totally different. A great number of people have taken part in heated online discussions, and what they have said has had a great impact. On the contrary, the print media has remained virtually silent, and no one cares what it has said.
Wu Jing: Since the Chinese media does not enjoy freedom of the press, it has to present an unreal China in its reports. This is why it has a very low credibility. Jiao Guobiao, a former associate professor at the Department of Journalism of Beijing University, said:
Jiao Guobiao: The media does not have the power to decide whether an article can be published. If its supervisor says no, it will have to follow his order. In this regard, the media does not enjoy any freedom.
Wu Jing: But things with the online media are different. One is not required to use one’s real name on the Internet, and the release of information is not under any control. As a result, people can fully enjoy the freedom to disseminate information and the right of access to information at the same time. Everyone can go to the online media and release information, as the Internet is open to ordinary people. Internet users read online news and release information, as well. Hong Kong journalist Yin-Ting Mak referred to them as citizen reporters on the Internet.
Yin-Ting Mak: As a matter of fact, every one of them plays the role of a citizen reporter. On the Internet, one posts both the good and bad events one has witnessed, and the information is quickly spread to families through the Internet.
Wu Jing: Though the form and content of the online media present an entirely new world to the people, at first, the newspapers and magazines run by the government thought nothing of the challenge to their credibility which was posed by the online media. At that time, those newspapers and magazines had a mentality similar to that of an emperor’s daughter: no need to worry about finding a husband. Online writer Wang Yi said:
Wang Yi: Though the print media cannot report freely because of the rules, at that time it still had a sense of superiority and enjoyed an advantage over the online media in terms of market share and profit, as the online media had not yet become an obvious threat. The print media was not interested in reporting the hot topics covered by the online media and regarded them as alien to its own world.
Wu Jing: However, with the participation of citizen reporters and the publication of all the articles they have submitted, the online media has been the first on major stories on many occasions. It has been exceptionally good at reporting unexpected or sensitive social events. In 2003, the online media posed a major challenge to the traditional media. There were a number of major events in 2003, and the online media outstripped the traditional media by being the first in reporting those events. Wang Yi said:
Wang Yi: The outbreak of SARS and the case of Sun Zhigang in 2003 clearly showed the challenge.
Wu Jing: Cao Changqing, a former deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Youth News, said:
Cao Changqing: The reporting on SARS is a clear example. The government told the media to keep quiet on the outbreak of SARS for the sake of China’s stability and image, and this lasted for more than four months. The four-odd months were critical to wiping out SARS at an early stage, but some 2,000 newspapers, nearly100 television stations, and up to 10,000 magazines in China all remained silent.
(Music)
Wu Jing: SARS spread quickly in China and then to other parts of the world because of information censorship imposed by the Chinese government.
(Music)
Wu Jing: Jiang Yanyong, a medical officer in Beijing, decided to tell the world the truth about SARS in China. His article was first posted on Time magazine’s Web site in the United States. After that, other Web sites vied with one another in re-posting it. Online information and public opinion put pressure on the Chinese government, and, as a result, the outbreak of SARS in China was made public, and a nationwide battle against SARS was launched.
Wu Jing: Liu Xiaobo, a writer and freelancer in Beijing, talked about the case of Sun Zhigang, another major incident of nationwide importance in 2003. He said that the disclosure and discussion of the incident and the subsequent policy adjustment were closely related to the information and public opinion voiced on the Internet.
Liu Xiaopo: The case of Sun Zhigang caused wide repercussions on the Internet. It generated a wave of appeals and signed petitions. Finally, some legal experts and well-known intellectuals joined others in exerting pressure on the top leaders by writing to them directly.
Wu Jing: The online media has broken new ground in providing citizens with accurate information in its unique way. Some people have questioned the reliability of online news, which is posted on the Internet without listing the writers’ real names, or have criticized the online media for spreading fabricated news. But judging by the contest between the traditional media and the online media in the last few yeas, one can tell that the truthfulness and credibility of the online media has greatly outstripped that of the traditional media, and the online media has become something that the newspapers and magazines run by the government cannot afford to overlook. Online writer Wang Yi said:
Wang Yi: Traditional media has felt the pressure. It has to consider its moral responsibility, as well as profit, and cannot remain silent on events of great social impact.
Wu Jing: Chinese readers have to choose between the new, online media and the traditional print media. Since journalism in China has become market-oriented, the media has to market its products to its readers, and credibility is the reputation of its products. The readership of the new online media is growing, while that of the old traditional media is declining. This shows that the Internet has the advantage of promoting the right to information and has compelled the traditional media to change. Hong Kong journalist Yin-Ting Mak said:
Yin-Ting Mak: The heat is on the traditional media. If it fails to report something that the online media has reported, readers will raise questions and stop reading it. Then the traditional media will lose its market share, and its role will diminish.
(Music)
Wu Jing: Dear listeners, the Internet has become an important source of news for the Chinese people, and some Internet users have even said that it is their most important source. The online media has challenged the traditional media on the issue of credibility. In our next program we’ll discuss how the online media is challenging the traditional media on the issue of market share. This is the end of today’s program. I’m Wu Jing. Thanks for joining us. I look forward to having you with us for our next program.
(Music)
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Filed under: cantonese, China | Tagged: 2008_olympics, china_civilrights, china_civil_rights, china_environment, china_graft, china_humanrights, china_internet, china_law, china_media, china_property, china_rights, china_unrest, commentary, East Asia, east_asia, fujian, governance, HongKong, hong_kong, media, nailhouse, nail_house, one_child_policy, public_health, radio_free_asia |