From my experience in China, this is a presentation to briefly explain in an informative yet entertaining way the realities of working as a journalist there.

1. Chinese Online Media
Life Behind the Great Firewall
By Andrea Hunt 11-16-12

2. Media and Us:
• How many online media
do you use everyday?
image retrieved on 11-11-12 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Googlelogo.png image retrieved on 11-11-12 https://twitter.com/logo Image retrieved on 11-11-12 http://www.stolaf.edu/services/hr/jobs/

3. What if they were all
blocked ?
• How would this affect your personal life?
• How would this affect school/work?
• What would you use instead?
• How would you access information online?
Retrieved on 11-11-12 www.empowernetwork.com

4. Who has Access to What?
• China online Media Landscape
• How is information acquired and shared?
• Chinese Substitutes to Western media
• State media and foreign media
• Not following the rules
• Chinese social and online media
Phenomenon

5. ‘Chinese Characteristics’
• 538 million Chinese ‘netizens’ online 2012
compared with 22 million in 2000
Retrieved on 11-01-12 from http://www.internetworldstats.com/top20.htm

6. China Statistics:
Retrieved 11-01-12 http://www.tealeafnation.com/2012/04/infographic-no-of-
chinese-netizens-is-roughly-the-entire-population-of-n-america/

7. Facts:
• Average internet user: 18.7 hours a week
• 2011- largest population of online shoppers-Taobao
• The watchdog group Reporters without Borders ranked China 171 out of 178
countries in its 2010 worldwide index of press freedom.
• Internet Police believed to be 20 -50,000 people
Retrieved on 11-14-12 http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2007/09/china-censors-internet-users-with-site-bans-cartoon-cop-spies-xiao-qiang/
Retrieved 11-11-12 http://m.npr.org/story/158448847
Retrieved 11-1-12 http://www.cfr.org/china/media-censorship-china/p11515
Retrieved on 11-14-12 http://en.rsf.org/china-china-12-03-2012,42077.html

8. Chinese substitutes

9. International Social media
• Facebook in 100 languages worldwide
• Twitter in 20 languages worldwide
Retrieved on 11-12-12 Retrieved 11-12-12 http://www.insidefacebook.com/facebook-global-market-monitor/ Retrieved on 11-12-12 https://twitter.com/about

10. Problem with Chinese social
media?
•
• Exception is
Retrieved 11-11-12 http://studymorechinese.com/profiles/blogs/china-memes
Retrieved on 11-14-12 http://www.weibo.com/

11. State owned vs Private Media?
State Owned Private Media
China Daily, Global Times, Xinhua www.eChinacities.com
CRI (China Radio International), China Radio Cityweekend, Time Out Beijing, Guardian UK
CCTV (9, 3, 5, 6, etc) Reuters Asia, Caijing, China Business Review (US-China
Business Council)
• Directly funded by government • Independently owned
• Support and report government policy • More flexible coverage
• China Daily has tried to be more edgy in • Self-censorship applies
their commentary-often against social • Allowed to report but need to adhere to rules
issues • Can be expelled or threatened for not following rules-
• freely allowed to be racist if it’s in China’s
‘favor’ • (Al Jazeera English China- Melissa Chan-correspondent
since 2007 visa not renewed. Beijing branch closed)
• City Weekend Beijing wrote comical article about the Den,
•
sports bare notorious for hookers. Guards came to the office.
• NO 3-T’s • China Daily-friend wrote critical article after having just arrived
in China. Was followed on his birthday.
Retrieved on 11-11-12 www.josephnorrie.com/blogspot
Retrieved on 10-28-12 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/05/201257195136608563.html

12. Propaganda
• Distraction? Daiyu Island anti-Japanese protests
• Problem: you can’t win all the time

13. Oops?
Retrieved on 11-14-12 www.chinasmack.com

14. Notice Anything?

16. China Daily

17. “The situation is excellent”
http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/static/cd_web/
cpc2012/cpcday1/cpcday1.html
Retrieved on 11-11-12 http://beijingcream.com/2012/11/which-province-watched-hu-jintaos-
speech-yesterday-with-more-rapt-attention/#more-6503

18. Foreign Media versus
‘China’
Retrieved on 11-12-12 http://rt.com/usa/news/us-money-media-wars/

19. Youtube vs China
• 2008: 3-14 Riots
• Posted on Youtube
• Youtube blocked
• Journalists kicked out
• When the Tibet unrest happened, [the Chinese government] lost its nerve and went back to its
traditional default position with regards to the foreign media, which is: “Don’t let anyone see
anything.”94 —Beijing-based foreign correspondent
Retrieved 10-28-12http://www.hrw.org/reports/2008/china0708/5.htm

20. 2009: RIP:Youtube/Facebook
• Tiananmen Anniversary June 4.
• Twitter,Youtube blocked
• Riots in Xinjiang
• July: Facebook Blocked
Retrieved 11-04-12 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HCMZvhbU5nk&noredirect=1

21. China versus Google

22. Google.cn
• 2007- Google enters market
• 2009-Baidu launches
• 2010- Google stops censoring
Retrieved 10-24-12 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/13 AR2010011302908.htm l

23. Who won?
• Google services stopped Google.cn
removed
• Google.hk sometimes ok
• Cuts out/blocked now
• 2012-Baidu 73% market share

24. China vs NYT
• NYT reports on Premier Wen Jiabao
• Family worth $2.7 Billion
• China’s foreign ministry spokesman said it
"blackens China's name and has ulterior
motives..."
• NYT blocked still..
ttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/26/new-york-times-china-wen-jiabao Retrieved 11-11-12 http://
www.editorandpublisher.com/Article/New-York-Times-Blocked-in-China-Over-Wen-Jiabao-Wealth-
Revelations Retrieved 11-12-12 http://beijingcream.com/2012/10/the-official-denials-have-begun-in-wen-
jiabao-vs-new-york-times/

25. There are ways around
this blockage...

26. Glorious VPN!!!
Retrieved on 11-11-12 www.hulu.com retrieved on 11-11-12
www.youtube.com

27. Working in Media
• Terminology: ‘Taiwanese’ versus ‘People
from Taiwan’
• Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong always part of
China
• No mention of dissidents: Aiwei wei
Falungong
• No criticism of government unless they
fixed the situation

28. How to report
• CRI Sichuan trip for reopening of Beichuan School
• 2008: Sichuan Earthquake.
• 9,000 schoolchildren and teachers killed
• 69,000 people dead and 15 million displaced
• Faulty construction materials and pay offs blamed
• Invited to cover reconstruction

31. China Phenomenon:

32. ‘Weibo’ and Blogs
• Sina Weibo alone has 300 million users
• 181 million blogs estimated
• Government censored but not always fast enough
• Discussions and photos
• Can find out anything
Retrieved on 11-1-12 http://www.resonancechina.com/2010/05/25/chinese-bloggers-62-7-active/ Retrieved on 11-15-2012
http://www.asianz.org.nz/our-work/media/seminars-and-networking/isaac-mao-visit
Retrieved 11-01-12 http://blog.heritage.org/2012/09/11/can-chinas-social-media-break-the-chains-of-censorship/

33. Retrieved on 11-15-12 http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/human-flesh-search-engine

34. Summary
• The Net is an immeasurable entity, that can
be controlled but not stopped completely
• It’s not that you can’t access information in
China or share it.
• It’s WHO can access it and HOW

35. Questions?
• Thanks for listening!! :D