China Media Bulletin: Issue No. 21

 

 

On May 2, Freedom House published the findings of Freedom of the Press 2011, the latest edition of its annual survey on global media freedom, covering events in 2010. Only 5 percent of people in the Asia-Pacific region were found to have access to a Free media environment, while 49 percent lived in a country with Not Free media. China was ranked 184 among 196 countries assessed, and continued to earn a designation of Not Free. The report noted that while dozens of writers and journalists were jailed in 2010, activists in Xinjiang and Tibet faced particularly harsh treatment. Several high-profile cases of violence against reporters also represented a growing area of concern. At the same time, journalists and bloggers continued to test the limits of permissible expression by exposing official corruption, circulating underground political publications, and engaging in imaginative efforts to circumvent the so-called Great Firewall of internet censorship. China also received a Not Free designation in Freedom on the Net 2011, a survey of internet freedom published by Freedom House on April 18. It was ranked 34 of 37 countries examined in that report.

 

* Radio Free Asia 5/2/2011: China has 'highly repressive' press <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/media-05022011153900.html>
* Freedom of the Press 2011 survey release: 5/2/2011: <//freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=668>
* Freedom on the Net 2011 4/18/2011: China <//www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=664>

 

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As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) prepares to celebrate the 90th anniversary of its founding in July, the Chongqing authorities are ordering local residents to familiarize themselves with 36 "Red Culture" songs, which were selected by a jury from more than 18,000 tunes in a party-sponsored competition. Local newspapers are required to feature stories on each song until mid-May. The CCP song campaign has also reportedly entered college campuses. At Henan Normal University, a CCP-themed version of American Idol has been staged in a school cafeteria during lunchtime since April. Some commentators view these efforts as an "ominous sign" that may foreshadow other political campaigns, but U.S.-based analyst Gordon Chang said on April 26 that the project is likely to "fall flat," as such tributes to Maoism do not resonate with most Chinese. As an example, he cited state-run Chongqing Cable Television, whose viewership has declined since it implemented orders to replace commercial programs with CCP-sponsored propaganda shows. The station has denied reports that it reduced staff and wages after making the switch in March.

 

* World Affairs 4/26/2011: China's 'red culture': let's all sing revolutionary songs <http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/new/blogs/chang/Chinas_Red_Culture_Lets_All_Sing_Revolutionary_Songs>
* People's Daily Online 4/26/2011 (in Chinese): Henan Normal University introduces Communist Party 'red songs' to cafeteria <http://news.qq.com/a/20110426/000170.htm>

 

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On April 24, Chinese rock musician Zuoxiao Zuzhou and Zhang Xiaodang, a reporter for Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily, were temporarily detained shortly after the musician expressed support for his friend Ai Weiwei, the internationally acclaimed artist and blogger who has been held incommunicado by Chinese authorities since April 3. Zuoxiao displayed the words "Free Ai Weiwei" on a large screen during his performance at the 2011 Modern Sky Folk and Poetry Festival in Zhouzhuang, Jiangsu province, and was consequently held by police, along with the journalist, for over 12 hours at Shanghai's airport. Zuoxiao had also published an article titled "Who doesn't love Ai Weiwei?" in Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper, expressing admiration for Ai's efforts to defend the rights of ordinary Chinese. Organizers of "Strawberry," another music festival in Jiangsu province planned for April 30, cancelled the event following the incident in Zhouzhuang, with observers speculating that the decision was made under political pressure.

 

* Reuters 4/28/2011: Chinese rocker reported detained after backing Ai Weiwei <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/28/us-china-idUSTRE73R6L420110428>
* Ming Pao 4/26/2011 (in Chinese): Who doesn't love Ai Weiwei? <http://forum.tvb.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=141555>
* New York Times 4/29/2011: China: Cancelled music festival raises concern <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/30/world/asia/30briefs-chinafestival.html?ref=china>

 

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The Songzhuang Documentary Film Festival, a well-known annual independent film event scheduled to be held in Songzhuang, Jiangsu province, from May 1 to 7, was cancelled on April 18. One of the festival's organizers admitted that they had come under pressure and said the "overall situation was tense." He did not go into detail, but he may have been referring to the recent government crackdown on the artistic community and official fears that attendees might use the film festival as an opportunity to express support for prominent detained artist Ai Weiwei. Wang Songyang, a press officer for the Songzhuang government, denied official interference, stating that the "civilian organizers may cancel it for any reason by themselves." The state-funded Beijing International Film Festival was held as scheduled on April 23, drawing more than a hundred world-famous actors and directors to Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts.

 

* Variety 4/21/2011: Songzhuang docu fest cancelled <http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118035740?refcatid=1019&printerfriendly=true>
* Global Times 4/20/2011: Film festival pulls own plug <http://beijing.globaltimes.cn/society/2011-04/646656_2.html>

 

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Zhang Jialong, a journalist at Beijing-based Caijing magazine, went missing in Beijing on April 28 after speaking to a person who claimed to be a police officer. A missing-person notice posted by his family on the Chinese web portal Szzse.com was reportedly taken down, though it later reappeared. According to the International Federation of Journalists, Zhang had published articles on sensitive topics, including detained artist Ai Weiwei and the aftermath of a 2008 scandal surrounding tainted milk products. In recent months, a growing number of journalists, internet users, artists, human rights lawyers, and others have been held incommunicado and without explanation in what are known as forced disappearances. The crackdown by authorities apparently began after anonymous calls for a protest-driven democratic revolution in China circulated on the internet in February. Two prominent lawyers, Teng Biao and Jiang Tianyong, were recently released, though another, Li Xiongbing has now been detained. According to Chinese Human Rights Defenders, initial reports indicate that many of those detained in the crackdown have been tortured or otherwise abused in custody.

 

* International Federation of Journalists 5/3/2011: IFJ urges action to find journalist missing in China <http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-urges-action-to-find-journalist-missing-in-china>
* Chinese Human Rights Defenders 4/29/2011: Human rights lawyer Li Fangping abducted in Beijing, whereabouts unknown <http://chrdnet.org/2011/04/29/human-rights-lawyer-li-fangping-abducted-in-beijing-whereabouts-unknown>
* Reuters: 5/5/2011: China frees rights defence lawyer Li, another disappears <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/5/worldupdates/2011-05-05T091529Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-567859-1&sec=Worldupdates>

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On May 4, the State Council Information Office (SCIO) announced that it was establishing a new agency under its jurisdiction, the State Internet Information Office (SIIO). The new entity will reportedly manage the government's online propaganda directives, punish violators of online content rules, and oversee the country's telecommunications companies, among other tasks. To date, over 10 different government and Communist Party agencies have been involved in regulating and controlling online content (for diagram, see Freedom House link below). The creation of the SIIO appears to be an effort to streamline procedures and possibly close existing loopholes in a country that is home to over 400 million internet users as well as the world's most elaborate censorship apparatus.

 

* New York Times 5/4/2011: China establishes new internet regulator <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/asia/05china.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
* State Council Information Office 5/4/2011 (in Chinese): State Internet Information Office established <http://www.scio.gov.cn/zxbd/wz/201105/t905089.htm>
* Wall Street Journal 5/5/2011: China regulator defends internet role <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703859304576305010445941784.html?mod=WSJ_World_LEFTSecondNews>
* Freedom on the Net 2009: China <//freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=384&key=197&parent=19&report=79>

 

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Online reactions to Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden's death reflected divergent opinion in China. According to several reports, a large amount of commentary on the Chinese internet expressed anti-American sentiment. Some comments, like a microblog posting by China Central Television executive Zhang Xin, referred to Bin Laden as a "national hero." In one poll reportedly posted on Phoenix TV's website, nearly 60 percent of people responded that they were "saddened, because an anti-American fighter has fallen," though about 60 percent also disapproved of Bin Laden's indiscriminate killing of innocent people. Not all commentary was in this vein, however, as many people posted notes that were sympathetic to the victims of the 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States or said Bin Laden's death reduced China's security threats. Other Chinese felt that the event had little impact on their lives. The prevalence of anti-American sentiment in some online forums raised questions over whether it was a genuine reflection of Chinese public opinion or the result of selective censorship. In terms of traditional media coverage, while Communist Party mouthpieces minimized reporting on the story, their commercial subsidiaries featured the news on their front pages.

 

* China Media Project 5/3/2011: Bin Laden on (and off) China's front pages <http://cmp.hku.hk/2011/05/03/12018>
* China Digital Times 5/2/2011: Bin Laden dead: Chinese netizens react <http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2011/05/bin-laden-dead-chinese-netizens-react>
* Now News 5/4/2011 (in Chinese): CCTV military channel director Zhang Xin caused controversy after calling Bin Laden a hero <http://www.nownews.com/2011/05/04/162-2709605.htm>
* Washington Times 5/4/2011: China on bin Laden <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/4/inside-china-567382461/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS>

 

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When the popular Chinese social-networking website Renren went public with a U.S. stock listing on May 4, global investors apparently brushed off risks that would likely give them pause in countries other than China, sending the company's shares up nearly 30 percent on the first day of trading. According to Reuters, Renren revised the filing for its initial public offering (IPO) on April 27, changing its reported membership growth for the first quarter of 2011 from seven million, a figure stated just 12 days earlier, to five million. In the risk-factor section of its IPO prospectus, the company stressed its compliance with the Chinese government's censorship rules, which prohibit any content, including advertisements, that appears "superstitious" or damages China's national dignity, among other poorly defined restrictions. The company website could be shut down if it does not comply with Communist Party and government censorship orders.

 

* Reuters 5/1/2011: Investors ignore risks in pursuit of growth in China <https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/business/global/02ipo.html>
* Financial Times 5/4/2011: Renren shares soar 30% on NY debut <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/c08d1072-764f-11e0-b4f7-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1LVG9pBqb>

 

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A series of media directives allegedly issued by China's State Council Information Office (SCIO) and the Chinese Communist Party Propaganda Department have been leaked online. On April 28, the SCIO instructed news portals to post material that praises "model workers," in an apparent effort to celebrate the upcoming Labor Day holiday on May 1. It also asked all websites to repost an article alleging that an iPhone application, Google Map Locator, had stirred privacy concerns among users. On April 29, online social networks and web forums were told to remove a widely circulated list of "Ten Crimes Endured by the People of China," which satirizes the Chinese government and the country's tainted food products. An April 30 directive instructs websites to highlight the topic of "exposing internet management abroad," a possible government effort to use foreign internet regulations to justify the tight controls in China.

 

* China Digital Times 5/1/2011: Latest directives from the Ministry of Truth <http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2011/05/latest-directives-from-the-ministry-of-truth-april-27-may-1-2011>

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On April 31, the South China Morning Post reported that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Hong Kong had issued an unprecedented warning over local street artist Cpak Ming's campaign for the release of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who has been detained incommunicado by Chinese authorities since April 3. On several occasions, the image of Ai's face-along with slogans like "Who's Afraid of Ai Weiwei?"-has been projected onto walls of buildings in Hong Kong, including the home of the PLA garrison. The PLA, which had kept a low profile in the autonomous territory since the end of British colonial rule in July 1997, said the use of beamed images in a restricted military zone was a "criminal offense," though it failed to specify which ordinance the artist had breached.

 

* South China Morning Post 4/30/2011: PLA in warning over Ai Weiwei image stunt <http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=8b2bbfbefe1af210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=Hong+Kong&s=News>

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On May 2, Taiwan's Council of Labor Affairs accused the television station SET-TV of fabricating a news story in which it purported to reveal a staged interaction involving President Ma Ying-jeou at a May 1 job fair hosted by the council. Journalists at the event recorded President Ma pleading on behalf of an applicant seeking work at a well-known restaurant; SET-TV then said it had discovered that the job seeker was already an employee and the exchange had essentially been faked. Minister Jennifer Wang of the Council of Labor Affairs said she and Ma did not know of the arrangement, and the council accused SET-TV itself of asking the restaurant employee to pose as an applicant. The National Communications Commission said it would formally ask the station for an explanation. At least one witness, a newspaper reporter, said that journalists from television stations other than SET-TV had convinced the employee to pose as a job seeker, and that SET-TV did not know in advance.

 

* Taipei Times 5/3/2011: NCC demands accounting from SET-TV <http://taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/05/03/2003502287>

 

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It was reported on April 28 that a New York-based Chinese blogger known by the pseudonyms Hua Ge and Gaius Gracchus was among the first to publish anonymous online messages urging China's netizens to mount prodemocracy street protests in 13 cities in China. While no obvious demonstrations materialized, the messages themselves, which began to circulate in February, are believed to have triggered an ongoing crackdown on dissidents, internet users, and others by the Chinese authorities. The calls for a "Jasmine Revolution" in China had initially been disseminated on the U.S.-based Chinese-language web portal Boxun, but after cyberattacks shut down that site, Hua Ge and two dozen other activists based in China, France, Taiwan, South Korea, and other countries created a blog called Moliahuaxingdong (Jasmine Movement) on Google's blog platform. The blog has registered more than 600,000 visitors, more than half of whom are from China. Feng Congde, a San Francisco-based democracy activist who had participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, argued that even if no demonstrations were carried out, the heavy police response to the online messages proved that the authorities were worried by the possibility.

 

* New York Times 4/28/2011: Trying to stir up a popular protest in China, from a bedroom in Manhattan <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/world/asia/29jasmine.html?emc=eta1>