While China is still better known for a largely propagandist press and strict censorship, a school of tough home-grown investigative journalists has emerged in the past 10 years or so, documenting scandals, corruption and abuse of power – occasionally toppling officials but sometimes paying a personal price for their efforts. It may not quite be the Fourth Estate as in the Western press but a form of ‘watchdog journalism’ exists in China.

Mr David Bandurski, an expert on Chinese media at the University of Hong Kong, notes: ‘At its very best, Chinese investigative journalism is no different from the best watchdog journalism in the West… though China is one of the toughest social and political environments for investigative reporting one could imagine.’

Often outpacing the censors, many of these dirt-digging stories air on state broadcaster China Central Television’s weekly News Probe programme or see print in more commercially driven publications like Caijing magazine, the Guangdong-based Southern Metropolis Daily and Southern Weekend, or others with a tradition of in-depth reporting like the China Youth Daily and Oriental Outlook magazine.

Read more about Wang Keqin and Zhan Jiang via CDT.

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Post tags: investigative journalism, media conditions, Wang Keqin, Zhan Jiang
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On April 3, China Youth Daily reported that the Chongqing municipal government/party has required that Chongqing Daily News will only present reportsabout the normal activities of the city party secretary, mayor and People’s Political Consultative Council on page 2 and in not more than 1,000 words; television and radio reports will not present these reports as the top stories and any report must not be longer than 3 minutes. Instead, the vacated space shall be used to report on and serve the broad masses.

I believe that this action will be appreciated by Chongqing citizens as well as people outside. In the recent “nail house” case, the Chongqing officials did not issue a ban order on media coverage. This seemed to have elevated Chongqing’s image in this regard as leading the nation. [Full Text]

© Xiao Qiang for China Digital Times (CDT), 2007. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chongqing, media reform, Zhan Jiang
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