China Digital Times

China news tagged with: propaganda (123)

• Yakexi: The New Year’s Hottest Internet Slang?

  

  From the ChinaGeeks blog:

  Recently, the Chinese internet has been abuzz with the term yakexi [亚克西]. According to a post on Baidu’s Baike, yakexi is the Uyghur word for good. The word has been in general use as a brand name for some time now, but it took on new meaning at this year’s Spring Festival Gala, where one of the performances was a song called “The Party’s Policies are yakexi“. Many netizens, finding the song to be excessive in its praises, have taken to mocking it and the word yakexi itself.

  » Read more
  • February 18, 2010 12:25 AM

• CPC At All Levels To Have Spokesperson

  

  From China Daily:

  China will accelerate efforts to establish next year a spokesperson system at all organizational levels of the Communist Party of China (CPC), a senior official said in Beijing yesterday.

  “We’ll push forward the spokesperson system in departments of the CPC Central Committee and provincial-level CPC committees,” Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, said during a press briefing in the city.

  This system will help spokespersons release information on CPC affairs through press conferences and interview opportunities, Wang said.
  The move is expected to speed information transparency and political democracy within the Party and society at large, analysts said.

  » Read more
  • December 30, 2009 3:38 AM

• Zhou Xisheng (周锡生): “China Has the Most Open Internet in the World”

  

  In China, several political bodies are in charge of Internet content control. At the highest level, there is the Central Propaganda Department, which ensures that media and cultural content follows the official line as mandated by the CCP. Then there is the State Council Information Office (SCIO), which has established “Internet Affairs Bureau” to oversee all Websites that publish news, including the official sites of news organizations as well as independent sites that post news content.

  Recently, the ninth session of the 2009 SCIO Internet News Work Training Session just finished in Beijing. All participants are top editors and managers of major news websites in China. The trainers include:

  * Li Wufeng, Bureau Chief of the State Council Information Office Internet Affairs Bureau
  * Peng Bo, Deputy Chief of the State Council Information Office Internet Affairs Bureau
  * Professor Zhu Feng, Peking University School of International Relations
  * Song Fufan, Director of the Ideology and Political Education Teaching and Research Section of the Marxist Theory Research Department at the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China
  * Zhai Huisheng, Party Secretary of the All China Federation of Working Journalists
  * Professor Gao Gang, Secretary of the Party Committee of Renmin University School of Journalism and Communication
  * Xia Chenghua, Deputy Chief of the Central Government Stability Preservation Leading Group Office
  * Zhou Xisheng, Deputy Chief of Xinhua News Agency, Director-General of Xinhua News Agency

  Soon after the training finished, one of the participants released her notes from this session online. CDT has translated the entire collection of notes from this 2009 SCIO Internet News Work training session; in total there are eight articles, which we will publish consecutively in coming days. CDT would like to thank the translator, who wishes to remain anonymous. Read the previous installments of notes. What follows is the eighth and final installment:

  Zhou Xisheng, Deputy Chief of Xinhua News Agency, Director-General of Xinhua News Net

  A. China’s special situation: since the founding of the country, the nation has strictly regulated the news media.
  i. On important news: Xinhua breaks the news; the People’s Daily publishes editorials and provides in-depth reporting.
  B. Our country’s Internet situation is unique. Compared to all kinds of restrictions in foreign countries, China has the most open Internet in the world.
  C. The main responsibilities of the online news media are:
  i. Promote a healthy atmosphere, encourage people to actively move forward
  ii. Establish the country’s good image
  iii. Convey social and cultural knowledge
  iv. Protect intellectual property
  D. Introduction to Xinhua News Agency’s numerous special privileges

  《网络媒体的社会责任》
  　　新华网副社长、新华网总裁周锡生
  　　一、中国的特殊情况：建国以来，国家对媒体的管理是很严格的。
  　　重要新闻：发消息归新华社，发评论和深度报道归人民日报。
  　　二、我国互联网形态有特殊性。相对于国外的各种限制，中国的互联网是全世界最开放的。
  　　三、网络媒体主要承担的责任：
  　　1、扬正气，鼓励人们积极向上。
  　　2、树立国家的良好形象。
  　　3、传递社会文化知识。
  　　4、保护知识产权。
  　　四、对新华网的众多特殊权利的介绍。

  » Read more
  • December 24, 2009 10:59 AM

• Ying Chan: Obama Loses a Round (Updated)

  

  Ying Chan, director of the Journalism and Media Studies Center at The University of Hong Kong, writes an op-ed in the New York Times about the images portrayed during President Obama’s visit to China last week:

  While the jury is still out on what President Obama’s China visit has achieved for the long term, the president has most decidedly lost the war of symbolism in his first close encounter with China.

  [...] The final image of President Obama in China that circulated around the world is telling: A lone man walking up the steep slope of the Great Wall. The picture is in stark contrast to those of other U.S. presidents who had their photographs taken at the Great Wall surrounded by flag-waving children or admiring citizens. Maybe Mr. Obama wanted a quiet moment for himself before returning home. But a president’s first visit to the wall is a ritual that needs to be properly framed. Mr. Obama could have waited until the next visit, when he could bring the first lady and the children. Instead, he went ahead by himself to pay tribute to China’s ancient culture. In return, the Chinese offered nothing, no popular receptions, not even the companionship of a senior Chinese leader.

  See also Ying Chan’s piece for China Media Project, “Obama in China: an information war behind the scenes.”

  » Read more
  • November 24, 2009 11:15 AM

• More Official Thoughts on Re-branding Propaganda

  

  David Bandurski of China Media Project translates “Employing Innovation to Raise the Level of Public Opinion Channeling in Television” by Ma Laishun, vice-chairman at Hebei Television and head of the station’s News Center. A portion of David Bandurski’s introductory remarks to Ma’s article:

  “Public opinion channeling” seems to encompass an ambitious nationwide project to re-package and modernize propaganda. The piece below refers explicitly to “all-around packaging” and “branding” even as it emphasizes serving the interests of party superiors.

  It is crucial to understand that this modernization project seeks to take the boring and the boilerplate out of propaganda, not the propaganda out of news. The emphasis on discipline and the party line is still there. But there is a recognition too that traditional media control tactics, while still crucial, are no longer as effective in the age of modern communications.

  So to all of you phoning to ask whether the Internet has made a difference. Yes. Of course. But be careful how you understand that change.

  Chinese media are changing. And so are controls.

  » Read more
  • November 5, 2009 2:44 PM

• Qian Gang: In Modern China, No Place for Totalitarian Anthems

  

  On China Media Project, Qian Gang analyzes the four anthems that were sung during the festivities for the 60th National Day celebrations:

  Mao, Deng, Jiang and Hu were all represented together during the festivities. And in fact, the ceremonies included two anthems symbolic of Hu Jintao’s leadership.

  “Oh, Lovely Land,” which accompanied the massive portrait of Hu, is perhaps not an anthem in praise of him personally, but praises him indirectly as a leader who “governs for the people”:

  The ordinary people are the earth;
  The ordinary people are the sky.

  “On the Sunny Road,” which Peng Liyuan (彭丽媛) sang over the grandiose fireworks display, was a clear and conscientious choice:

  On the sunny road,
  In the air the banners soar.
  Scientific development and harmony,
  Guide China to brighter shores.

  “Scientific development” and the “harmonious society” are of course markers of Hu Jintao. They are his political banners.

  These four songs — or five — all fall into China’s tradition of what can be called “song politics,” or gequ zhengzhi (歌曲政治). They mark the intersection of high-level power plays and political slogans with the realm of culture and popular entertainment.

  They are also relics of the totalitarian era.

  Watch Peng Liyuan perform “On the Sunny Road”:
  

  » Read more
  • October 26, 2009 9:56 PM

• From Heroic to Ignorant Masses, and Then…

  

  Global Voices translates reactions to a new media policy in Yunnan which outlaws the use of certain standard phrases:

  The liberal-orientated South China Metropolitan (Nandu) Daily and the Beijing News promptly responded to the ban with editorials (Links: Nandu; Beijing News) in the subsequent two days. Nandu Daily traced the use of the term “ignorant of the truth and facts” back to a Xinhua News Agency’s article on a social unrest in Jilin Province in July and pointed out that:

  云南省委宣传部门的通知，激起了对一张“不明真相”的政治和社会标签的检讨。清理和检讨这些难孚人心的陈词滥调，也就是承认和检讨公共生活中那些心照不宣的权力之恶。这种恶既包括官员滥权的投机，也有媒体不能自主的跟从。因此，这对公权力是一种进取，于媒体是一种反思。但更重要的原则是，其实没有谁可以给公众随意贴上或者撕下所谓不明真相的标签，因为历史的真相始终掌握在他们的手里。

  The notice issued by the Propaganda department of Yunan Province has stirred up a critical reflection of the political labeling of the mass as “ignorant of the truth and facts”. The cleaning up of cliche is an acknowledgment of the existence of evil power and deeds in the public domain. Government officials abusive use of power supported by state owned media is part of such evil deeds. Therefore, the notice is a progressive move in monitoring the powerful. And the media should reflect on its role. More importantly, no one can label or tear off the label of the so-called “ignorant of the truth and facts”, as the truth of the history is at the hand of them (the mass).

  Read also a translation of a Southern Weekend editorial about this policy.

  » Read more
  • October 20, 2009 1:40 PM

• Austin Ramzy: How Much Will Global News Outlets Bet on China?

  

  From the Time Magazine:

  As China marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC and the 30th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s reform and opening policies, there are countless examples of how the country has changed over the decades. In the sphere of foreign media coverage, perhaps the most obvious came last week, when 300 news executives arrived in Beijing for the country’s first World Media Summit, held Oct. 8 through Oct. 10. President Hu Jintao addressed the gathering, saying China would “safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign news organizations and reporters and facilitate foreign media coverage of China in accordance with China’s laws and regulations.” He noted the growth in the foreign media’s coverage of the country and called on the foreign press to “deepen the world’s understanding of China.”

  … While the summit was billed as a nongovernmental event, David Bandurski of Hong Kong University’s China Media Project noted on the project’s website that Li was formerly the deputy chief of the CCP’s propaganda department. The summit, Bandurski wrote, is “a naked ploy by the CCP to enhance China’s global influence over media agendas,” and the foreign media representatives “an audience at court.”

  Plays for access are an inevitable part of the media game. But with China’s growing clout and economic status, foreign players take on greater risk to their professional integrity. Murdoch himself has been accused of dropping BBC News from Star TV satellite packages and axing a critical book by Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong. At a time when media are still reeling from the economic downturn and the Internet-led destruction of traditional advertising and subscription models, China has money to spend and offers new markets for foreign media. The risks are high. Not only could Western media players miss out on a big deal in China, they could sell their soul to win one.

  » Read more
  • October 12, 2009 5:51 PM

• Xinhua: China Issues White Paper Stressing Harmony, Equality Among All Ethnic Groups

  

  From Xinhua News Agency:

  The Chinese government Sunday published a white paper on its ethnic policy, stressing harmony and equality among all ethnic groups.

  The paper, released by the State Council Information Office, reviewed the country’s basic situation of ethnic issues, the government policies over the past six decades and the economic, social and cultural progress in ethnic minority regions.

  It was the third white paper on China’s ethnic policy after two reports were issued respectively in 1999 and 2005, said an official with the State Ethnic Affairs Commission.

  “Through this white paper that summed up our ethnic policy and practice, we hope the international society could have a better understanding about the reality our policy is based, about what the policy is, and the impact it has on solving ethnic issues and promoting the development of ethnic minorities in China,” the official said.

  » Read more
  • October 3, 2009 9:21 PM

• More Hard Words on China’s “War for Public Opinion”

  

  China Media Project continues their analysis of Hu Jintao’s media policies and efforts at “public opinion channeling”:

  Noting a softer pitch to Hu Jintao’s newest media policy buzzword — “public opinion channeling,” or yulun yindao (舆论引导) — some have supposed that a relaxation of media restrictions in China is in the offing. That misguided notion has perhaps been re-enforced by another aspect of Hu’s policy re-orientation, namely more active reporting of breaking news stories by central CCP media like People’s Daily Online and Xinhua News Agency.

  Hu’s policy is motivated not by an impulse to loosen the party’s grip on the media, but rather by an interest in more effective control. How do we know this?

  Partly, of course, from the intensification of traditional media controls designed to enforce propaganda discipline — the issuing of orders and bans, the killing of news stories, the blocking of Websites and keywords.

  But we can also look at the political valence of the party’s own language used to articulate and disseminate Hu Jintao’s new media policy.

  » Read more
  • September 30, 2009 9:05 PM

• No Detail Overlooked in China’s Celebration

  

  The New York Times writes about the elaborate preparations for Thursday’s massive National Day celebrations and the reasons why many Beijingers are probably eagerly awaiting Friday morning:

  China’s government at times resembles an exasperated parent trying to rein in a pack of rebellious children. Its edicts are persistently flouted by censor-dodging Internet users, wayward local officials and rioting Uighurs.

  But when it comes to the impending National Day celebration in Beijing, the government appears fully in control. When swarms of soldiers, throngs of tanks and flocks of floats roll past Tiananmen Square on Thursday, 10,000 police officers and security guards will monitor Beijing street corners and checkpoints for evidence of potential party-spoilers. As many as 800,000 volunteers have also been enlisted to help maintain security.

  Knife sales have been banned in at least some stores. Beijing’s international airport will be closed Thursday for three hours. Along the parade route, the authorities have forbidden parade-watchers from opening windows or standing on balconies.

  See also “No pigeons, no balloons during China’s 60th anniversary party” from the Christian Science Monitor blog.

  » Read more
  • September 28, 2009 8:24 PM

• 60th Anniversary Coverage: “Dancing with Shackles On”

  

  In the run-up to the October 1st 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, China Media Project looks at media coverage of the event and compares it to coverage a decade ago:

  Looking at the differences between coverage this year and in 1999, two changes become immediately obvious. The first is a dramatic increase in the level of commercialization in China’s media. The second is a rise in the strength and importance of internet media in China.

  Chinese media face strict propaganda controls ahead of the 60th anniversary. They must follow the mandate of Hu Jintao’s “five goods” formula, avoiding historical and institutional negatives and focusing praise on the CCP and the socialist system, etcetera.

  Nevertheless, the 60th anniversary is a great big event and a great big story, and Chinese media have to stay on top of it. So how do media, as Chinese journalists often say, “dance with their shackles on”?

  » Read more
  • September 17, 2009 4:25 PM

• Xinhua: Meeting a Family Member in Zhongnanhai

  

  From Xinhua, translated by CDT:

  On September 14, 2009, Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council met 达吾提·阿西木 （Dawuti Aximu, in Mandarin), a Uighur peasant from Xinjiang in the premier’s office in Zhongnanhai, Beijing. Dawuti Aximu is the Party Secretary of Qiongkuer Qiake, Maralbexi County, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.

  

  

  

  Photo source: Xinhua.

  Also on CDT: Slideshow: The daily lives of Uighurs in Xinjiang, after the riots, by Jordan Pouille.

  » Read more
  • September 16, 2009 8:51 PM

• Southern Weekend: We Must Change the Way We Speak Today

  

  An editorial from Southern Weekend looks at a new media policy in Yunnan that forbids the use of certain phrases in reporting:

  The propaganda department [宣传部] of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee recently put out a bold new media policy along these lines. As they released urgent notices regarding the turbulent events in Luliang County over the past few weeks, they also frankly criticized several media outlets for blindly catering to the local government, saying their characterization of the local people involved was formulaic and monstrous. They also stated that reports and editorials on sudden events in the future should not rashly label people as troublemakers or thugs and that they must omit or at least be more cautious about using phrases such as “people who don’t know the truth,” “ulterior motives,” and “a handful [of thugs].” The new policy was hailed as soon as it came out. The bitter dictatorship of words had gone on long enough. It was clear that people were longing for civil and legal discourse like a parched land longs for a rain shower.

  China has always been a country of etiquette and as such there has always been strict rules of conduct regarding how to treat others. However, the traditional dictatorship of words was not so. It only knew to fight ruthlessly to get things done, to insult and smear people. Not only can this be seen in the list compiled by the Yunnan Province Party Committee with discriminatory phrases such as jobless persons [无业人员], it also appears from time to time in all media, public documents and legal documents. This kind of language lacks proper manners and is a mark of poor upbringing. One can say that it is not only inappropriate for modern civilization, it would also be unfitting for the last 3000 years of Chinese civilization.

  Just as we parted with the old political jargon 60 years ago, we must part with the dictatorship of words of today. We must restore order to the way we use our words. This linguistic transformation is an important part of the ongoing transformation of the government. And this is exactly where the value of the media policy in Yunnan can be seen.

  » Read more
  • September 10, 2009 3:38 PM

• Uneasy Silences Punctuate 60th Anniversary Coverage

  

  China Media Project looks at episodes in the history of the PRC that are not being glorified in the propaganda blitz leading up to National Day:

  Media in China may view the National Day celebrations as a golden opportunity to cash in and enhance their commercial reach and influence. But China’s leadership views this event as an internal affair of paramount political importance, and as a key strategic front along which to tighten news controls.

  It was way back last spring that China’s Central Propaganda Department conveyed its overall position on reporting of the 60th anniversary: “Shout throughout the whole of society the main themes of the goodness of the CCP, the goodness of socialism, the goodness of opening and reform, the goodness of our great motherland, and the goodness of our various ethnic groups.”

  These five points, which are referred to as the “five goods,” essentially define the permissible scope of 60th anniversary coverage.

  » Read more
  • September 10, 2009 1:52 PM

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