Image Courtesy: Salzburg Global Seminar
Article 57/2024
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is widely recognised for its suppression of press freedom, with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) describing President Xi Jinping as the "leading censor and press freedom predator" globally. The Chinese government’s policies are designed to achieve complete control over news coverage while aiming to establish a global media order heavily influenced by China. State-run outlets, such as China Central Television (CCTV), dominate the domestic media landscape, complemented by provincial TV stations that broadcast nationally via satellite. Furthermore, China’s 2,600 radio stations are state-owned, and nearly 1,900 newspapers are primarily controlled by local governments and the Communist Party.
China allocates billions of dollars to its international media efforts, leveraging TV, radio, online platforms, and print media to extend its political influence and improve its global image. However, it remains highly restrictive toward foreign media operating within its domestic market. The 2020 World Press Freedom Index highlighted China’s ambitions to create a “new world media order.” In 2023, RSF identified China as being the world's most restrictive environment for journalists.
In recent years, technology, information, and the internet have become integral to daily life, and the media plays a pivotal role in shaping both domestic and international societal thinking. The content produced by media outlets whether it be newspapers, television, or social platforms has a profound impact on public perception. The media serves as a bridge for information, influencing how individuals view themselves and the world around them. With the power to shape opinions, it is essential that the media operates transparently to ensure accuracy in representing events and issues.
However, when media is subjected to censorship or regulation, it can lead to significant ethical concerns. Governments may censor information to maintain social stability, protect national security, and safeguard societal morals. While this approach may have its benefits, such as promoting inward investments and enhancing national prosperity, it also carries risks. Media censorship can create a skewed understanding of global events, often presenting only a one-sided narrative. By selectively filtering information, it may foster a false sense of security, presenting the government and its policies in a more favourable light while misrepresenting the realities of other nations. In this context, it is crucial to analyse the practice of journalism and media in countries like China, where censorship is a key feature.
Robert Delaney, a columnist and North America bureau chief at the South China Morning Post, participated in a session at the Salzburg Global Pathways to Peace Initiative. Drawing on his experiences as a journalist in China, he highlighted incidents that revealed restrictions on press freedom. Recalling one such experience, he shared: “I remember doing a telephone interview with a US diplomat regarding issues about Taiwan. And the phone went dead. The line was cut. They clearly were monitoring what it is that foreign journalists were talking about” (Savio, 2024).
China’s media system is defined by the one-party rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which tightly controls the entire media landscape. Journalists in China must complete a compulsory course on ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ to maintain their press credentials (China Media Project, 2023). This course emphasizes the need for the media to align with party ideals and national interests. Media outlets serve as instruments for promoting the Party’s messages and policies, leaving little room for independent journalism due to strict censorship and government regulations. Censorship is widespread, the CCP's Central Propaganda Department enforces strict guidelines on information broadcasting, promotes Xi Jinping Thought, and censors content to maintain the party's narrative. Advanced digital tools like the “Great Firewall”, monitor online content and block foreign websites (Marketingblatt, 2024). State-run outlets, such as Xinhua News Agency, China Central Television (CCTV), and People’s Daily, dominate the media, ensuring that information aligns with Party directives. Even private media are closely monitored and required to follow government rules (The Tribe China, 2021).
China seeks to influence global public opinion through strategies similar to its domestic propaganda, ensuring the party's narrative dominates. State and state-affiliated organizations use a two-fold approach: they emphasize positive portrayals of China’s successes while suppressing or overshadowing opposing viewpoints and information (Drinhausen et al., 2023). Furthermore, China leverages its media as a tool of soft power, spreading its perspectives internationally through platforms like CGTN and China Daily.
China’s major social media platforms include Weibo and WeChat. However, these platforms are tightly controlled, using algorithms and AI to monitor content, spread the party’s messages, and silence dissent. The CCP views the media as essential for maintaining security and stability, with common themes of nationalism and party loyalty aimed at aligning public opinion with government priorities. This system reflects the party’s focus on controlling free speech and expression and independent journalism.
Some key state-run press, television, radio, and news agencies include People's Daily, China Youth Daily, China Daily, Global Times, People's Liberation Army Daily, Reference News, 21st Century (21 Jingji), Chinese Central TV (CCTV), China Global TV Network (CGTN), China National Radio, China Radio International, Xinhua (New China News Agency), and China News Service (CNS).
A significant trend over the last decade is the convergence of traditional news media with mobile platforms (Yin, 2021). In response to the growing mobile user base, evidenced by 940 million online users in 2020, with 99.2% accessing the internet via mobile devices, President Xi Jinping introduced the concept of “convergence media” in 2018. This approach integrates traditional media, such as print, TV, and radio, with newer digital platforms, including social media, short video apps, online podcasts, and news applications. The goal is to improve content integration and enhance the dissemination of information and public awareness.
Since its introduction, the “Two Social Media, One App, One Douyin” model has become a key strategy for mainstream media in China. This model uses WeChat Official Accounts (WeChat OA), Weibo accounts, news apps, and Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) as primary channels for distributing information. Platforms like Weibo and Douyin are primarily used for breaking news, while WeChat and news apps focus on delivering long-form content. This centralized media structure is part of a broader trend where global press freedom faces mounting challenges, particularly from political authorities who should be its defenders.
The latest World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) highlights this issue, noting that among its five evaluation criteria political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and safety the political indicator has experienced the steepest decline, with a global average decrease of 7.6 points (RSF, 2024). In the case of China, the five evaluation criteria reveal severe constraints on press freedom.
The Political Indicator: The CCP maintains strict control over media outlets, which are seen as tools for disseminating state propaganda. Independent journalism is suppressed, and political dissent is met with censorship. The coverage of sensitive topics like the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests were strictly prohibited and broadcasted from the VOA and BBC. Their broadcasts covered news that Chinese media did not report. The Recent incidents highlight the CCP's continued efforts to control narratives. Similarly, media coverage of protests against China’s strict zero-COVID policies in late 2022 was heavily suppressed (Jogalekar, 2023), with authorities scrubbing videos, images, and social media posts that depicted public discontent.
Another example is the censorship of any dissent related to economic hardships, such as the rise of “lying flat” (tang ping), a passive resistance movement among youth disillusioned with intense work culture and limited economic opportunities. Discussions around increasing unemployment, growing inflation, and the failure of real estate projects, the ghost cities, are also heavily restricted in both traditional and digital media.
Legislative Indicator: Although Article 35 of China’s constitution nominally guarantees press freedom, Article 51 limits this right in Favor of national sovereignty and public interest. The Regulation on the Administration of Publishing further restricts the dissemination of content deemed harmful to state security. Journalists can face severe legal consequences, such as imprisonment, for publishing material critical of the government. For instance, during the COVID-19 outbreak, independent reporting on the early mishandling of the pandemic in Wuhan was censored. Journalists like Zhang Zhan, who reported directly from the ground, faced detention and imprisonment for their work (CNN, 2024).
Economic Indicator: The Chinese government controls advertising revenue streams and subsidizes state-run media, creating a landscape where private media are financially dependent on the state and cannot operate independently(Freedom house,2023). Economic penalties, such as withdrawal of advertising or fines, are frequently used to silence dissenting voices. The recent economic hardships in China have driven many people to extreme measures, as seen in the tragic car attack that killed at least 35 people. This incident was quickly removed from online platforms, and journalists reporting on it faced crackdowns.
To navigate the uncertainty in China’s economy, institutions like Morgan Stanley have developed indexes that track key indicators such as wage growth, job sentiment, and labor strategies. Investors are now making decisions based on protest data, as economic figures from the government are often unreliable or inaccessible.According to a report from Firstpost, “Beijing stopped publishing youth unemployment data last year, possibly because the figures were unfavourable. When the data was eventually released five months later, experts remained sceptical of its accuracy, given China’s history of lacking transparency and manipulating public information”.
Social indicator: The government strictly controls any reporting on these subjects, framing them as threats to national unity or stability. For example, discussions of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, are heavily censored in China, with online platforms and media outlets prohibited from publishing any content related to him (BBC, 2013). Similarly, Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that has faced persecution since 1999, is banned in China (Freedom House, 2017), and any reports or mentions of it are swiftly removed from the internet. Journalists, bloggers, and citizens who attempt to share information on these topics often face harassment, detention, or legal action. Social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat monitor content related to these subjects, ensuring that any dissenting views are swiftly silenced.
Security Indicator: China is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Whistleblowers and investigative journalists face intimidation, harassment, and imprisonment. For example, journalist Chen Qiushi went missing after reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the risks faced by those who challenge official narratives. Furthermore, in 2020, several Chinese journalists were detained for reporting on the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, underscoring the risks associated with reporting on politically sensitive topics in China. Journalists covering human rights abuses in the Uyghur detention camps in Xinjiang have encountered severe risks, such as harassment, detention, and censorship.
A prominent example is Gulchehra Hoja, a journalist with Radio Free Asia (RFA), who has reported extensively on the conditions within these camps. Through interviews with former detainees, she has exposed accounts of forced labour, torture, and indoctrination. However, her reporting has been heavily restricted by Chinese authorities, who have also harassed her family members in China as a form of retaliation (Radio Free Asia, 2021). These incidents reveal the state’s systematic approach to suppress independent journalism and its efforts to maintain tight control over the media landscape.
Opinion- How China impacts public perception both domestically and internationally.
During a recent conversation with a Chinese citizen, I learned that the portrayal of India in Chinese media is overwhelmingly negative. Reports often highlight incidents such as the tragic sight of partially burnt bodies floating in the Ganga, violent crimes, or public unrest, framing India as underdeveloped and uncivilized. This selective and skewed narrative appears designed to instill a sense of superiority among Chinese citizens and reinforce the government’s narrative of Sino-centrism, portraying China as the epitome of civilization and progress.
Conversely, the news that China exports internationally paints a different picture, one of relentless development and unmatched success. However, a deeper examination uncovers significant flaws beneath the surface. Reports, such as those by Firstpost, highlight growing dissatisfaction among Chinese citizens due to unemployment, rising inflation, and the proliferation of ghost cities and abandoned infrastructure projects. This economic and social malaise has led to increasing cases of emotional distress and public despair, as evidenced by incidents of violence and unrest on the streets.
While China’s media strategy is highly effective in shaping domestic opinion and projecting its narrative internationally, it risks creating an image of the country as opaque and untrustworthy. The absence of independent journalism restricts China’s capacity for transparent dialogue with the global community, making it challenging for foreign audiences to gain an accurate understanding of the complexities of Chinese society and politics. This approach may help China achieve short-term objectives, but it undermines long-term diplomatic and cultural exchanges.
Moving forward, China faces the challenge of balancing state control with increased transparency, enabling diverse voices both domestically and globally. Encouraging freedom of speech and expression could improve China's international image and foster stronger, more reliable ties with other countries. Achieving this shift requires significant political will and reform in China's tightly controlled media landscape. Whether China is willing to make these changes will be key to the success of its global media strategy.
Reference:
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(Ms. Nayanadeepa C S is a research intern at C3S. The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views of C3S.)
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