Getting chummy with the foreign media
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"We will facilitate foreign media coverage of China in accordance with the law," said President Hu Jintao, during his speech at the World Media Summit, October 9, 2009
Beijing saw the opening of two-day World Media Summit last October, hosted by Xinhua News Agency and co-initiated by News Corporation, Associated Press, Reuters, ITAR-TASS, Kyodo News, BBC, Turner Broadcasting System and Google. Participants representing some 170 news agencies, radio, television, newspaper, magazine and online media came from over 70 countries and regions.
With the themes of Cooperation, Action, Win-Win and Development, the first-ever media summit discussed the status quo of modern scribing and the developing trends and challenges they are facing. It was concluded with a World Media Summit Joint Statement, a consensus on responding to challenges, promoting cooperation and achieving fair and balanced coverage.
The attitude Chinese government held to foreign media has changed obviously in the past couples of years. Before 2007, overseas media was expected to act in conformity with the Regulations Concerning Foreign Journalists and Permanent Offices of Foreign News Agencies, which was issued as early as 1990. Overseas media was required to apply to related offices in charge of foreign affairs before coming to the mainland to conduct interviews.
To facilitate hosting thousands of foreign journalists flocking in for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Regulations on Reporting Activities in China by Foreign Journalists during the Beijing Olympic Games and the Preparatory Period were put into effect on January 1, 2007. According to this set of regulations, foreign media could interview whomever they wished by simply getting the permission of interviewees.
However, emergency events that took place a few months prior to the Olympics changed government officials' attitudes rather than the regulations. On March 14, 2008, a riot broke out in Tibet and a news blackout was imposed which kept foreign journalists out of the region until 12 days later. This measure was widely criticized domestically and abroad, and the Chinese reports on this event were questioned in some foreign media.
Lessons must be learned. When a deadly earthquake hit Sichuan two months later, foreign journalists were approved from the very first moment to interview in disaster-stricken areas.
The conveniences foreign media temporarily enjoyed during the Olympic Games were written into Regulations Concerning Foreign Journalists and Permanent Offices of Foreign News Agencies, which was issued by the State Council and put into permanent effect on October 17, 2008.
The latest regulation allows foreign journalists to go anywhere in China for any interview that interests them. When riots broke out in Xinjiang on July 5, 2009, the Chinese government facilitated foreign journalists to go to the scene on the following day. And during the celebration of the PRC's 60th anniversary, a news center was established to provide professional services to media organizations. Foreign media's needs were considered when making up the schedule.
While the global community is looking forward to greater in-depth coverage and a more direct understanding of the nation, China is also trying to make its own voice heard, which required a strong, supportive, media industry. The government carried out a strategy in 2009, involving two sets of measures. One was to form super media groups through trans-industry and regional mergers. The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) announced last April that in three to five years it would breed six to seven media giants by transforming, restructuring and listing state-owned media. The value of these entities were expected to exceed RMB 10 billion each in both assets and annual sales. The other is to expand the current leading media like Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television (CCTV).
