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International Journalismof very aggressive ad salespeoplethroughout the country. As one mightexpect, advertising is creating mediacompetition, particularly in the printpress. Consumers are becoming moreselective about the publications theyread and this, in turn, compels editorsand publishers to pay a lot more attentionto the demands of the market.Comparing Chinese andAmerican JournalismOne way to assess the changes takingplace in the news media in China isto make a few comparisons with thecurrent state of American journalism.(Of course, not everything aboutchange in China coincides with theAmerican experience.)• Mergers and Acquisitions: In theUnited States we hear and see a lotof commentary about how large corporationssuch as Disney, GeneralElectric, Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorporation, Gannett, Knight Ridderand others dominate the news media.Something similar is happeningin China but on a much smallerscale. Government-owned and partyownednews organizations are absorbingsmaller papers and startingnew ones. They’re forming what theycall “groups,” organizations that publishmorning and afternoon newspapersas well as specialty publications.They’re also going intorevenue-producing businesses thathave little or nothing to do withjournalism. Xinhua recently openeda “mega-bookstore” in Shanghai offering150,000 titles and two coffeebars. The Guangzhou Daily, whichoperates citywide kiosks at whichnewspapers, candy bars and sundriesare sold, is planning to establisha chain of convenience stores.• Tabloid Journalism: They’ve got itin China, too. But, of course, theyare not as sensational or sexy as weare. Yet. This is a recognition by thepowers that be that the public is notvery interested in the dull, gray,party-line journalism of the past.Readers want more informationabout fashion, about celebrities,about music and movies, sports andso on. They are also eager to knowabout the latest corruption scandals.So afternoon tabloids are startingup and flourishing. You can buythem on street corners, which maysound unremarkable to us, but it’sonly in the past few years that readersthemselves actually paid fornewspapers in China. The customwas for the work unit or the partycell to make the purchases. That stillgoes on, but less and less.• Marketplace for News: The newphenomenon of readers buyingnewspapers shows how marketforces are working to change journalismin China. The readers wantvalue for their money. Hence competition.The odd thing, of course, isthat it’s Communist party or governmentorganizations that are creatingthese new, flashier publications.• Censorship: Another comparisonbetween the United States and Chinawould be in the area of censorship.We, of course, have the First Amendmentto protect the public’s right toknow. In China, the party and thegovernment, central and local, stillexercise strong control over the newsmedia, make no mistake about that.In day-to-day practical terms, forjournalists it is more a question ofguessing howfar one can go.Journalists inChina sometimesjokeabout this:They ask eachother, for example,whatthe party lineis today on Japan, deforestation,bank policy and so on. And, ofcourse, journalists are also carefulabout coverage of unrest among thejobless and demonstrations by politicalor, more recently, religiousdissidents. Few writers want to be…there’s a strongelement of selfcensorshipin theChinese news media.seen as instigators of political movementsor mob violence. So there’s astrong element of self-censorship inthe Chinese news media. In our owncountry we have some of that, too.Of course, the consequences forgoing over the line might not be assevere. But I think many of us haveeither experienced the displeasureof a publisher for offending an advertiseror a prominent member ofthe community or have known colleagueswho have paid a high pricefor challenging a sacred cow.• Civic Journalism: Another rathercurious comparison is so-called civicjournalism. It is a question in myown mind whether there is a growingtendency in our own news mediatoward adopting the sense ofcivic responsibility as practiced bythe Chinese press. That may seem afar-fetched notion here. Still, whenyou hear American editors talking atconferences about going beyond traditionalnews coverage to help set acommunity’s agenda, you wonderwhether they’re moving into therealm of what the PRC media call“ensuring the rectitude of publicopinion.”• Journalism’s Watchdog Role: Finally,to me, one of the most interestingcomparisons between ourmedia and the Chinese media iswhat some call the watchdog role.Most Americans expect journalistsin our countryto keep asharp eye onpoliticians,business, laborand government.Americansare accustomedtocriticism of the establishment, toinvestigative reporting, and to pressexposés about corruption. Is thiskind of press reporting possible inChina? It may come as a surprise thatone of the most popular nationaltelevision programs in that coun-34 Nieman Reports / Fall 1999