Policy Paradigm Shifts of Contemporary Chinese Media (original) (raw)

Media system in China: a Chinese perspective

The media system in China is not totally different from the systems in all other countries in the world. This paper will explain the nature of the media system in China and its internal mechanics from a Chinese perspective. The media system in China is a combination of different media philosophies and the result of the long history of Chinese civilisation. In this system, the Chinese Communist Party, government, private enterprises, media professionals, public individuals and Chinese culture play different roles and provide different forces from different directions and in different fashions. By analysing each force and their interaction inside the media system in China, this paper elucidates the mechanics of the media system in China and attempts to explore the possibility of using these mechanics as a new model to explain media phenomena in China.

Editorial: From Control to Negotiation: Chinese Media in the 2000s

International Communication Gazette, 2007

As China is seen to rise as a major power in the global economy and politics, there has been growing academic interest in the country’s changing media landscape. It is, however, never an easy task to read media systems in a post-Communist market authoritarian society like China. Students of Chinese media studies are often excited by the rapid growth and commercialization of the media industry, on the one hand, and puzzled and frustrated by its lack of press freedom and professionalism, on the other hand. This special issue of The International Communication Gazette wishes to contribute to the current academic debate on the Chinese media by identifying and focusing on some of the most recent changes in this area. Before I introduce the four articles collected in this special issue in some detail, it is useful to undertake a critical analysis of the main theoretical frameworks that have been used to understand the Chinese media ‘puzzle’ in recent research literature, and explore the possibility of developing new ones.

From centralisation to diversification: A historical analysis of media structure and agency in China

This article examines the dynamics of media centralization and diversification of media in China from 1949 to 2013. Drawing on Bourdieu's field theory, we conceptualize media structure as the structure of the media field, which encompasses 1) the field boundaries and 2) the internal differentiation of the field. Within the historically changing fields, we also explore 3) the operation of media organizations by using agency theory. We conclude that recent media diversification in China is manifested in the controlled, selective and limited widening of field boundaries; the internal diversification of media structure; and the bifurcation of the contract governing the principal-agent relationship between the party-state and media organizations.

MEDIA IN CHINA

Communication among human beings is essential is promoting peaceful co-existence. The access to information plays a crucial role in empowering peoples as the saying goes ‘information is power.' The media has been at the forefront in collecting and disseminating information. However, the media outlets in different countries function differently in different societies depending on the social, political, and religious set ups. This paper analyzes the media operations in China. It encompasses the historical background, the current state, the statistics, and the political influence of media in China

Controlling the Chinese Media: An Uncertain Business

Increasing economic liberalization of the Chinese media has not resulted in proportional political liberalization, and previous explanations for the state’s puzzlingly firm grip are inadequate. This article argues that a “regime of uncertainty” is critical toward keeping the Chinese media in line.