A Media Free-For-All in China?
Ashley Esarey, an expert on Chinese media and author of Freedom House’s 2006 report on media censorship mechanisms in China, was recently interviewed by CFR.org about the recent loosening of regulations on foreign journalists in advance of the 2008 Olympics. The interview is available as streaming audio and podcast here.
To briefly summarize, Esarey explains the sophisticated mechanisms by which China manages media content, and explores some potential implications of the new regulations for both foreign journalists in China as well as Chinese media outlets. He identifies HIV/AIDS and social unrest/protests as two of the most sensitive issues for Chinese media. Esarey argues that the new regulations should be viewed as an experiment; depending on the outcomes, journalists in China could gain greater freedom or face tighter restrictions.
A bunch of China bloggers have already covered this issue from various angles. The incomparable China Law Blog has a great post on media payments to journalists in China, which includes a handy aggregation of other posts on this topic. Richard Spencer has written about how the new regulations are changing the way foreign journalists work and live in China.
Here’s a question for all the China bloggers out there with great expertise on this topic — Danwei, Imagethief, Silicon Hutong, Angry Chinese Blogger, Granite Studio, Off the Record: Are the new regulations for foreign journalists mere window-dressing in advance of 2008, or does this portend real change in the way China manages the media?
In the meantime, I am going to take this opportunity to heap praise on the brilliant CFR.org site, which to my mind offers the most comprehensive, savvy news and analysis on international affairs and politics on the web, bar none. Although CFR.org is not quite “Google for the foreign policy set,” as Slate.com’s Jacob Weisberg is quoted as saying, it’s really, really good in its own right. The august Council on Foreign Relations, which produces CFR.org, has developed a wonderful online strategy to distance itself from its other think-tank peers.
