Stirring Up the Debate

If Mr. Sun Yusheng from the Chinese television station of CCTV was moderate in his talk about censorship in Chinese media, Ms. Yuezhi Zhao had none of these qualms in her talk on today's conference on Chinese media in Copenhagen. But as a Ph.d in communications at the Simon Fraser University, she lives and workes in Canada.

According to Ms. Yuezhi Zhao the tendencies in Chinese media is - quote - 'a rise in the dictatorship of economics', and a 'neo-liberal ideology and Social Darwinism in street tabloids has become dominant' - unquote. In her analysis, this is caused by a huge growth in the middle class Chinese, who enjoy all the benefits of the Chinese economic wonder. That leaves the farmers and workers to be a problem for society. A fifty percent burden. The logic being, quote - 'either you die or I die' - unquote. The viewpoint in Chinese media is always the middle class. As an example she gave: in the coverage of China's WTO entry, out of 500 news stories not one story covered an interview with an ordinary farmer or worker.

Another tendency in Chinese media, according to Ms. Zhao, is a lot of 'happy talk' (e.g. Hunan satellite TV) and consumer angled stories - to the neglect of worker's conditions.

Altogether, in her view, the media market is based on a logic of 'one dollar, one vote' as opposed to 'one person, one vote'. The media is undergoing a social power re-structuring, where the middle class is empowered, and the commercialization of the media gives rise to new media suppliers and urban newspapers. For instance from the real estate industry, government officials, state enterprise managers, private business men, and journalists.

According to Ms. Zhao, the market driven media should pursue these goals:
* Stirring up debates
* Exposing government corruption
* Opening for sympathy with the lower classes

One question for Ms. Zhao from interviewer Mette Holm (former Beijing correspondent) was about the future for press freedom. And Ms. Zhao saw the market driven media as a vehicle for more press freedom. Eventually to create public service channels free of government censorship. Paradoxically, the market should lead the way to 'public service'.
'China's problem is no longer just China's problem - it's a global problem,' she stated in her finishing remarks.

For further information, see:
http://www.cmns.sfu.ca/people/faculty/zhao_y/