China Media Project translated sections of a speech by Yuan Zhifa, the former editor of Guangming Daily, in which he philosophizes about the importance of “the guidance of public opinion” in news reporting:
China generally avoids making a public display of its media control ideology and tactics, which have scant popular support. As the 17th National Congress nears, however, party leaders are cranking up the volume and urging media not to forget their duty to public opinion guidance (舆论导向).
One of the most notable examples to appear in recent weeks was a speech, disseminated on August 22 through the Central Propaganda Department’s Guangming Daily and a number of major Websites, by Yuan Zhifa (Ë¢ÅÂøóÂèë), a former Guangming Daily editor with a long resume of propaganda postings. [Full text]
