Mass Media in China & Hk

1737 Words7 Pages
Are the mass media in China completely unfree while that in Hong Kong entirely free? INTRODUCTION Traditionally, while Hong Kong’s mass media seldom have constraints for all kinds of issues, China’s mass media are usually constrained for sensitive issues and acting as propaganda and gatekeepers for the government. Many people may consider that Hong Kong’s mass media are completely free, whereas that in China are totally unfree. Nevertheless, these statements are not accurate enough and they simplify the exact and more complex situation. PRINT Undeniably China’s print media were unfree before the 1978 Reforms, but it is not completely unfree today. The press was state-owned, being official mouthpieces and carrying out propaganda function. The papers could not criticize the Party or sensitive topics like social ills, but reporting only the good news. Although the constraints in 1978-1989 were looser with the Reform, for example the World Economic Herald opened up debate about political and economic issues, the government resumed strict controls over the media since the Tiananmen Incident in 1989. However, as the state promoted the market economy, the media were no longer funded by the government. They need to be self-financing, generate revenue themselves and compete with each other. Thus, the mass media industry had to make changes to be more professional, so as to attract audience to attract advertisers by some reporting that the public want to know, such as officials’ corruptions and social ills. Nanfang Daily Press Group is a good example. As a medium whose papers increasingly earn national respect for coverage of social ills, Nanfang Daily Press is known for its superior reporting and higher level of frankness than many mainstream press outlets. In 2003, Nanfang Metropolitan Daily was the first medium to have coverage unveiling the SARS outbreak in
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