The Globe and Mail has written an optimistic report about the influence of the Internet on China’s youth: ” ‘I love to read the negative news reports on-line, especially the common people’s complaints,’ one focus-group participant said. ‘Those brave reports could never be released by the traditional media; only on the Internet is it possible to read them.’
‘China is the only country in the world where reading news is the No. 1 or No. 2 thing that people do on the Net,’ says Mr. Guo, who has obtained funding from Western think-tanks to further his research. ‘It means they’re not satisfied with the traditional media.’ … Trying to control the Net, says Michael Ma, a 23-year-old Beijing businessman, is like ‘trying to contain fire with paper.’ ” The full report is here.
