Explains why and how local critical reporting can exist in China despite the kinds of media control that are the hallmarks of authoritarian rule.
Why and how does critical reporting persist at the local level in China despite state media control, a hallmark of authoritarian rule? Synthesizing ethnographic observation, interviews, survey and content analysis data, Convenient Criticism reveals evolving dynamics in local governance and the state-media relationship. Local critical reporting, though limited in scope, occurs because local leaders, motivated by political career advancement, use media criticism strategically to increase bureaucratic control, address citizen grievances, and improve governance. This new approach to governance enables the shaping of public opinion while, at the same time, disciplining subordinate bureaucrats. In this way, the party-state not only monopolizes propaganda but also expropriates criticism, which expands the notion of media control from the suppression of journalism to its manipulation. One positive consequence of these practices has been to invigorate television journalists’ unique brand of advocacy journalism.
Author(s): Dan Chen
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 192
City: Albany
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Reassessing Media Criticism under Authoritarian Rule
Existing Explanations of Media Criticism
Convenient Criticism
Media Capture at the Local Level
Contributions to Understanding Authoritarianism
Addressing Citizen Grievances
Limitations of the State-Society Framework
Informal and Innovative Local Politics
Fluid Yet Clear Media Control
Redefining Media Politics under Authoritarianism
Nonlinear Implications for Authoritarian Durability
Sources and Methods
Plan of the Book
1. Convenient Criticism
Defining and Categorizing Media Criticism
Television Critical Reporting versus Print Investigative Journalism
Organic Criticism versus Orchestrated Criticism
Television Livelihood News Programs
Reporting Urban Governance Problems
Variations in Critical Reporting
The Livelihood News Programs
Coding
Scope
Intensity
Bureaucratic and Political Conveniences
The Principal-Agent Problem
Opaque Political Selection
Leadership Style
Media Convenience
Commercial Interests
Advocacy Journalism
Citizen Convenience
Calibrating Expectation and Reinforcing Hegemony
Conclusion
2. Tangled Maneuvers
Media Control and Critical Reporting
Sorting Layered Incentives
Shifting Media Preferences and Journalistic Learning
Journalistic Tactics of Maneuver
Demonstrative Cases
Encouraging Critical Reporting
Limiting Critical Reporting
Conclusion
3. Political Edge
Historical Use of Media Criticism
Supervision by Public Opinion
Other Media-Related Policies
Local Leaders’ Career Interests
Formal Institutions of Cadre Promotion
Informal Politics of Getting Ahead
Frequent Leadership Turnover
Differing Incentives at Provincial and Municipal Levels
Individual Differences in Leadership Style
Conclusion
4. Keen Partner
Media Reforms and Competition
Redefining Television Journalism
Journalism in Livelihood News
Advocacy and Populism
Advocacy—to Bridge the Government and the People
Populism—to Channel Citizen Grievances
Political Constraints
The Governance Context of Media Criticism
Illegal Construction in Residential Complexes
Pollution
Food Safety
Aligned Interests
Conclusion
5. Criticism and Correction
Expectations and Hypotheses
Data and Measurements
Leadership Style toward the Media
Media Competition
Governance Context
Explaining Variations
Bivariate Analysis
Regression Analysis
Demonstrative Cases
Xi’an Zero Distance
Orchestrated Criticism
Organic Criticism
Zero Distance
Conclusion
Conclusion
Advancing Bureaucratic Control and Political Careers
Addressing Citizen Grievances
Enhancing Media Advocacy
Limits of Convenient Criticism
Implications for the Authoritarian Rule
Appendix A: Ethnographic Observation and Interviews
Appendix B: Content Analysis and Variables
Notes
Works Cited
Index
