Freedom of Speech in China
Frog in a Well blogs on Chang Ping, editor in Southern Metropolis Daily, who criticized Chinese nationalists’ response to the western media’s wrong reporting of Tibet.
Danwei has some links on the current war over free speech in China. The whole thing was sparked by an April 3 editorial in Southern Metropolis Daily. The author, Chang Ping, was critical of some of the Chinese responses to western media coverage of Tibet. I have not read every single post at Anti-CNN, but the main issue that was making people angry was that some media outlets were publishing pictures of Tibetans being arrested in Nepal and claiming that they were pictures of what was happening in Tibet.
According to information compiled by netizens, certain media in countries such as Germany, United States, United Kingdom and India made clear factual errors in their reporting. From the viewpoint of journalistic professionalism, these errors were very wrong, even deliberately misleading. Although some media outlets have issued apologies and corrections, the damage from the inaccurate news was already done and the Chinese people find it hard to forgive. Like any kind of fake news, the damage is first and foremost on the public trust in the media themselves, because ten thousand truths cannot undo one lie. If in the reporting of the incident (as well as other major incidents), the Chinese media are not allowed to report freely and the overseas media are suspect, then where is the truth going to come from?
See also Blasts from the Past
POSTED COMMENTS: 3 Responses
An interesting story highlighting what the Chinese People like and dislike about Western Media and a lack of accuracy.
But it would seem a waste of time. Until any Chinese man or woman can freely look up on the internet and find out about the events in Tienamen Square the Chinese that protest about Western Journalists are barking in a vacuum. They are only lending themselves to the Propaganda and media machines run by the Chinese Communist Party.
It is also interesting to see that Western Governments are learning a lot about how the Chinese Government is attempting to manipulate evens surrounding the running of the Olympic Torch Relay. I seriously doubt China will ever be able to do anything like the Olympic Torch Relay again as Western Governments will be more circumspect in allowing any Chinese Government organisation or quasi government organisation from organising such an event on there own soil.
In fact the Chinese Government and also the Chinese people have lost a great deal of respect because, of the mishandling events and abuse of human rights in Tibet, also because the aggressive way they have run the Olympic Torch Relay and, their thuggish attempts at trying to manipulate events into triumphs of propaganda to present to their captive population.
None of these things have pasted unnoticed in the west… Remember it is western money that builds the China that is growing today… The West can at a pinch do without China and yes, it would not be easy… But it is interesting to note that it is China that can not do with out the west. With out western input into China there would be a spectacular failure of the Chinese economy and resulting unrest and resentment in China against the Chinese Government would sweep through out its entire population.
Unfortunately, the spectacular failure of Chinese economy will spill all over the world and destabilize the whole region and world. Capitalism cares about making money and the stability of a certain market. If Capitalism cares about otherwise, China will not be what it is now. The West can at a pinch do without China? For what? Just because of how it handled Tibet and some thuggish behavior of the Torch protection team? I don’t think those Capitalists are so low IQ as you wished. If human rights are the major drive of economic development, the world would have stayed when it was thousands of years ago. The West got where it is now not by humanity; it’s by repression, bloody wars, uprisings and such. Don’t try to tell us that China started World War I, II. Don’t try to scare anybody. I don’t think you understand a shred of Chinese history and how it has survived the 5000 years of long journey. We will have freedom of speech; we will have democracy. But it’s not by anyone’s order and pressure. It will come when the time is ready.
Responding to the statement of Zak Mann,
“None of these things have pasted unnoticed in the west… Remember it is western money that builds the China that is growing today… The West can at a pinch do without China and yes, it would not be easy… But it is interesting to note that it is China that can not do with out the west. With out western input into China there would be a spectacular failure of the Chinese economy and resulting unrest and resentment in China against the Chinese Government would sweep through out its entire population.”
I an Chinese national who have lived in the West (both Europe and US) for more than 20 years, I am not sure whether we’re reading and listening to the same Western media regarding the state of US economy. If you pay attention to any business news, many Western multi-national companies such as GE, IBM and Cisco and the ilk rely on the growth in “emerging markets” such as China and India. In fact, if you look at the earnings reports, they have little or negative growth within US. The US financial institutions rely infusion of foreign money from Middle East and China to function.
“The West can at a pinch do without China and yes, it would not be easy… ” — well, how much of the basic stuff you use daily such as clothing, electronics, furniture, etc., is produced in US?
Regarding China, yes, Western investment has played an important role, but let me point this out: First of all, it was investment from overseas Chinese in Hong Kong and Taiwan that fueled the China’s spectacular economic growth — just check out how many foreign companies were invested in China in 80’s and early 90s (when most Western countries “boycotted” China after the so-called “Tiananmen massacre”). It was only in early 2000’s that the Western companies start massive investment in China. Now half of retirement mutual funds are invested in China. The mutual funds that have the best returns are those in emerging markets, energy, metals and materials of which are fueled by the economic growth in China (and India, Brazil and Russia).
So please open your mind, and recognize that the world has changed — it is no longer a world dominated by the US-led Western developed countries. The West can no longer dictate affairs of emerging powers and markets such as China, India, Russia, Brazil, and for that matter, Middle East and Africa — did you notice that when US shows its saber in (certain parts of) the Middle East/Africa and raises the tension, the oil price goes, and the Western companies and people suffer (and so do companies and people in the world).
We live in a “globalized” world, like it or not — or to quote Friedman, the world is now “flat”! If China suffers, West will also, and vice versa.
So let’s recognize that we all have a stake in, accept our own responsibilities and try to make the world a better place for all people, _not only_ the Western people, or Chines, but for _all people in the world_.
Peace to the world!