{"id":189352,"date":"2015-12-18T14:00:09","date_gmt":"2015-12-18T22:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=189352"},"modified":"2015-12-18T16:10:55","modified_gmt":"2015-12-19T00:10:55","slug":"the-paper-smarter-sexier-state-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2015\/12\/the-paper-smarter-sexier-state-media\/","title":{"rendered":"The Paper: Smarter, Sexier State Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

Launched in July of 2014 by the state-owned Shanghai United Media Group amid\u00a0President Xi Jinping’s call for an upgrade to traditional state propaganda<\/a>, The Paper (Pengpai\u00a0<\/em>\u6f8e\u6e43)<\/a> represents the Party’s foray into hip, web 2.0-style newsblog.\u00a0At Foreign Policy, Tabitha Speelman\u00a0takes a close look at the state media startup\u00a0and its modern approach<\/strong><\/a> to guiding the public opinion<\/a> of China’s increasingly web-savvy population:<\/p>\n

[…W]hile some state outlets do have a large mobile presence \u2014 party mouthpiece\u00a0People\u2019s Daily<\/em>operates a huge public account on mobile messaging platform WeChat \u2014 the\u00a0Paper<\/em>\u00a0has distinguished itself by successfully\u00a0integrating into the media diet\u00a0of many young Chinese, most of whom would normally not follow or share state media\u2019s often stodgy coverage.<\/p>\n

The popular and slick-looking\u00a0app<\/a>\u00a0offers over 100 news and background stories a day in 49 categories that range from rule of law to real estate to art.\u00a0It is already a staple in WeChat feeds and web portal repostings, greatly amplifying its influence.<\/span>\u00a0The quantity and range of content attracts readers, most of whom are young and educated. Bruce Bo Ding, 26, a\u00a0Guangdong native who\u00a0now works in an art gallery in Shanghai, said thePaper<\/em>\u00a0is the only news app left on his phone. \u201cI only have so much time,\u201d said Ding. \u201cPengpai<\/em>\u00a0offers a lot of content in one place. I can just pick and choose.\u201d<\/p>\n

[…] From the start, the\u00a0Paper<\/em>, which is part of the state-owned Shanghai United Media Group, had a difficult mission. The expectations from the leadership were clear: gain influence without making anyone up top look too bad. To do so, the start-up had to appeal to online readers, many of whom have an appetite for in-depth news without overt propaganda. \u201cYou have the right to know more,\u201d goes\u00a0one of the\u00a0Paper<\/em>\u2018s advertising slogans. […]<\/p>\n

[…] So far<\/span>, the government\u2019s strategy of cultivating online media start-ups as a way to reach new audiences, in addition to boosting the\u00a0social media presence<\/a>\u00a0of state outlets such as\u00a0People\u2019s Daily<\/em>\u00a0and CCTV, seems\u00a0successful.\u00a0<\/span>Already, outlets across the country are copying the\u00a0Paper<\/em>\u2019s model. In the past half-year, media groups have launched similar online platforms in the provinces of Sichuan, Henan, Hubei, Guangdong, and Xinjiang, as well as in the capital Beijing. The\u00a0Paper<\/em>\u00a0itself is working on an English-language platform that will be launched in the first half of 2016. \u201cIt is another sign of the\u00a0Paper<\/em>\u2018s success,\u201d said Wei Wuhui.\u00a0\u201cThe people from the State Internet Information Office are quite satisfied.\u201d<\/span>And even after leaving the\u00a0Paper<\/em>\u00a0to pursue other interests, the anonymous reporter working in Shanghai remains an avid reader.\u00a0Caixin<\/em>, the Beijing-based publication famous for its investigative journalism, is probably better, she said, \u201cbut reading a\u00a0Caixin<\/em>\u00a0long-read takes a lot of time and dedication. The\u00a0Paper<\/em>\u00a0is faster and more accessible.\u201d […] [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For an example of the modern and amusing\u00a0presentation style now being cultivated by state propagandists,\u00a0see CDT’s translation of “Who Are the Sly Chaoyang Masses<\/a>,” a The Paper article that was censored shortly after its original posting early this year. Also read more on online public opinion<\/a> and state media<\/a>, via CDT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Launched in July of 2014 by the state-owned Shanghai United Media Group amid\u00a0President Xi Jinping’s call for an upgrade to traditional state propaganda, The Paper (Pengpai\u00a0\u6f8e\u6e43) represents the Party’s foray into hip, web 2.0-style newsblog.\u00a0At Foreign Policy, Tabitha Speelman\u00a0takes a close look at the state media startup\u00a0and its modern approach to guiding the public opinion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":985,"featured_media":189355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7,14744,14745,14746,100,5],"tags":[16651,5912,4667,690,209,15457,15404,17078,15912],"class_list":["post-189352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-information-revolution","category-level-2-article","category-level-3-article","category-level-4-article","category-politics","category-society","tag-apps","tag-internet","tag-online-public-opinion","tag-propaganda","tag-public-opinion","tag-public-opinion-guidance","tag-state-media","tag-the-paper","tag-wechat","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Paper: Smarter, Sexier State Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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