More Watchdogs in the Media
Before 2007, regions ravaged by floods, earthquakes, typhoons and other catastrophes were mostly sealed off to foreign media. Information from the no-go zones was treated like state secrets. Reporters trying to cover disasters without official permission — almost never granted — were stopped by police. Notebooks were seized, and photo files deleted.
Some of the restrictions were relaxed in early 2007 as part of China's pledge to increase media freedom — a promise that helped Beijing getting picked as the host for the 2008 Olympics. Since the earthquake in May 12, 2008 in China’s Sichuan Province, journalists generally have been free to go where they want.
Rebecca MacKinnon, a journalism professor at the University of Hong Kong, said China's leaders might have decided to be more open in Sichuan because they realized it would be too difficult to control press coverage of such a mammoth disaster.
Moreover, China’s leadership — concerned about its image before the Olympics — may have learned a lesson from Burma’s ruling junta, which has received worldwide scorn for limiting foreign aid for victims of a devastating cyclone. "They discovered how much more sympathy they get and how good they look when they open up access," said MacKinnon, a former TV journalist who covered China for CNN from 1992 to 2001.
In February 2009, new press cards were issued to journalists throughout China. A new entry in the press cards caught attention of all journalists, which states that: "The government at all levels should facilitate the reporting of journalists who hold this card and provide necessary assistance. Without a proper reason, government officials must not refuse to be interviewed." Many considered it a positive signal that the authorities welcomed supervision from the media.
I am working for a weekly newspaper, China Business Journal, one of the few non-government newspapers in China. On January 16, 2010, we run a report on Guangdong province in southern China. We commented on the governor’s anti-corruption measures demanding high officials to disclose their income. This kind of topic was not possible a few years ago.
It should be noted that that it is much easier for newspapers from the capital to carry reports on sensitive issue, like politics outside the capital, than the local media. Thus, media from the capital carries a growing role as watchdog of social fair and justice.
Mingfeng Li
Editor, China Business Journal
Beijing, China
