The Media

To some extent there is an almost extensive cover of events in the People's Republic of China today and it is certainly more comprehensive than it has been at any time in the past. Nevertheless, the bias, at times, is still too obvious, the English language reporting, at least, can sometimes be monotonous and sometimes infantile and the sheer size of the country means that events, which might lead to a nationwide discussion elsewhere, just slip off of the mainstream news within a couple of days and so it was with the events in Weng'an, a rural town in the remote Guizhou province when tens of thousands took to the streets to protest what they understood to be an official cover up of the alleged rape and murder of a fifteen year old girl. However, what remains interesting, as one commentator pointed out, is that there is a history of distrust between the citizens and authority in that particular town. What in fact happened to the girl, Li Shufen, is still not clear.1 However, there can be no doubt as to the extent of the protests and of the fact that the state controlled media openly reported the events. For instance, the following passage is summarised from 'The Shanghai Daily' of the 3rd of July; the fact that up to 30,000 people took part in the riots Guizhou was at least partly due to the people there being generally unhappy about the authorities and their inability to solve major social greivances.2 Of course, we might speculate as to why the media is being so open about these events, even to the extent where they have set up their own discussion forums on the internet. However, one of the main reasons for the openess, the internet itself, is also indicative that today it is neither possible nor even desirable or necessary to completely control the flow of information.

Another, very different, piece of news that is worth looking at is the US drafted resolution on Zimbabwe and the fact that both China and Russia used their veto in the security council.3 Of course, China and Russia are only looking after their own geopolitical and business interests. However, so too is the west.4 In the area of world affairs China is, at least, as credible as the west, especially when we consider the hypocrisy of our dealings with the Arab world in particular and, indeed, with the wider world in general and in the case of Zimbabwe in particular China and Russia are, whatever their motives, in actual fact right for as Simon Jenkins says in today's "Sunday Times", "Whatever their (China and Russia) motives, they are right. Sanctions are an ineffective, or worse a counterproductive, weapon of interstate aggression."5

To sum up, it would appear that there is, albeit with limitations, a certain openess in the Chinese media at the moment and this openess has been evidenced on a number occassions in recent months. Of course, there are a number of tabus but it does, nevertheless, seem that people are being informed and, in fact, have the ability and possibility to inform themeselves that not everything is hunky-dory. China's reaction to the Sichuan earthquake is one example of this, "new" openess and regular reports on environmental issues is another. Furthermore, there is straight and direct reporting where China's own interests are concerned and if the said reason for their veto, is no more than a pretext to protect their own geopolitical interests, so too is the reason given by the US for their resolution. In short, I would argue that the hegemony enjoyed by the mainstream media in the west hardly helps people to form an alternative opinion. Here in the PRC the same is true in a country where the state media has a monopoly. Nevertheles, that monopoly is beginning to look like a piece of Swiss cheese and there is a window out there where opinions can be expressed. The question remains how that opinion will be controlled, harnessed and ultimately tamed or at least rendered insigniicant. Here, the Chinese could learn a lot from the west. They might do well to start by making their own state media a little bit less monotonous.

1 http://zonaeuropa.com/20080701_1.htm

2 http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200807/20080703/article_365514.htm
3 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-07/12/content_6839983.htm

4 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/11/unitednations.zimbabwe

5 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/simon_jenkins/article4322592.ece

The picture above is of the riots in Weng'an