Per the NY Times, there is an interesting article on how Xinhua manipulates and censors news reporting in China:
(regarding) Xia Lin’s lecture entitled “Understanding Journalistic Protocols for Covering Breaking News,” the speech was designed to help budding journalists understand Xinhua’s mission: to give Chinese leaders a fast and accurate picture of current events and then deftly manipulate that picture for the public in order to ensure social harmony, and by extension, the Communist Party’s hold on power.
This does not cover Chinese attempts at misinformation either. I would love to hear an equivalent lecture given on what Korean media does too.
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I’ve never seen the characters — I’m guessing “Xinhua” means something like “true speech”?
“Pravda”?
新华 = New Chinese
Probably better translated as “New China”, as in, We Communists are building a New China.
I hope the grass mud horses continue their efforts towards defeating the river crabs.
@KrZ:
I wonder how many commenters will get that joke.
I didn’t get it. I only know the old stuff . . . capitalist running dogs and that sort of thing.
But I looked it up and am now also in the know.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
I got it “Sonagi” and so do most Chinese with a computer.
I imagine that, in the Korean case, its herd instinct more than government diktat, that shapes the news. I also imagine that it was only fairly recently that they progressed even that far.
China is behind many distortion and they even have Internet armies of 280,000 trolls.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/26/china.astroturf/
This is why no one take China’s claims seriously.
Distortion in the media?
Didn’t we Americans invent and perfect the art of “distortion in the media”? Anyone forget about FOX news?
You miss the point entirely “beat”, CCTV and Xinhua is a tool of the Chinese Communist Party in both the suppression of information and spread of disinformation. Fox Network does not perform the same function though they are a detestable lot of provocateurs.
Are you trying to say that FOX news is not a mouthpiece for the government (Republican party)?
“suppression of information and spread of disinformation” sounds like the FOX and the republican party modi operandi to me…
The Republican Party is not the American Government. They have a political agenda but it mostly does not align with the American Government. As of now, the Chinese Government IS the CCP which controls the media in China.
The only difference between China and America is that we have a two party political system and they have one… If you don’t think that modern American media don’t have a political agenda than you have been hiding under the rock for the last 3 decades. Most of our media is controlled by multinational corporations who definitely have an agenda. Their agenda is to maximize their earnings by any means necessary. Both the democrats and republicans are guilty of pandering to these corporations. Do you really believe that our votes have a voice? It’s the special interest lobbyists who really control our government.
You are off-topic “beat” in your reasoning. The article, and this thread, is about the deliberate manipulation of media for political ends by a ruling government — not about multi-national conspiracy theories. Your judgment of the Chinese and American systems of government as being the same is seriously flawed and contradicted by so many sources that it is a waste of time to link to any. If you are an American, please go back to school and read up on the differences.
Please put any other conspiracy theories in the open thread.
You don’t think that our government manipulates the press? Our country is slowly slipping into the realm of fascism. Chinese may control their media and corporations, but our government and media is controlled by our corporations. You choose the poison.
Let’s not argue over semantics
Two parties or one is a pretty massive difference. and FOX is run by Rupert Murdoch, and I get the impression that you don’t really understand his agenda or the extent to which he will sacrifice his ‘principles.’
Western governments do try to influence the media, but not in the same way Xinhua does (always reminds me of the Korean word for myth). Which begs the (on-topic) question who in Korea would give such a talk? Yonhap is just not on the same level. Korea’s playbook appears to consist of Western tactics, plus a few backrooom deals, a bit more denial of access with a few strong arm tactics thrown in. The culture ministry probably isn’t going to do a talk to anyone on how “Yu In-chon will come and get you if you don’t play nice.”
We may have two parties but when it comes down to decision making behind the doors they all bow down to big corporations. What are you trying to say that Rupert Murdoch is not a corporation?
Whether it’s Chinese , American, or Korean media, polishing crap is still crap. We could all point our fingers at other countries and say you are doing it all wrong, while we are screwing up just as bad as they are.
I’ve sampled both poisons and find American poison far less harmful. So do millions of Chinese immigrants.
Sonagi, question:
Just how many Chinese immigrants are recently from the mainland directly? I find that most Chinese immigrants are tangentially from the mainland through Taiwan or Hong Kong.
Chinese attempts at misinformation? Where exactly is the alleged “Chinese PLAN report”? Is it available in English or Chinese?
Read the last link in this thread “juche” and follow the bread crumbs. Per the main source for the “American mine” conspiracy, Yoichi Shimatsu is a former editor of the Japan Times and is a commentator on Asian affairs for CCTV-9, the same CCTV that is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and due to the reports of media control and manipulation in China, it is pretty obvious that the guy is a tool for the CCP:
http://www.reportingfromnewyork.com/?p=382
Then you can also compare that to this earlier thread post:
http://www.rjkoehler.com/2010/06/03/cheonan-conspiracy-theories/#comment-376355
Chinese agitprop comes in so many flavors that I wonder why they didn’t try to connect the Dalai Lama to the Cheonan sinking.
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