Writing On The (Great) Wall.

• Author: BECKER, LEE B.
• Position: Trends in Chinese journalism

As China moves toward a market economy, Chinese journalism is starting to open up, too.

The evidence of continued control of the media in China is nearly impossible to ignore. Editors are disciplined for seemingly small transgressions. Coverage of controversial events is highly regulated. Media reports often read more like government news releases than independent reporting--probably because they really are government news releases.

At the same time, there is evidence among Chinese journalists of an openness to change. There seems to be at least some support for this in parts of the government. This openness in the long run may be more informative about the future of Chinese journalism, and maybe even China, than is the evidence of control.

The openness to change seems to be the result of the major economic revolution taking place in the country, and it may be necessary for the continuation of these economic developments. If this is the case, we can expect Chinese journalism to continue to evolve as the country enters the world trading market in the coming years.

I came to these conclusions rather tentatively from observations I made of two groups of Chinese journalists in May, one in the booming, vibrant city of Shanghai, the other in the more restrained environment of Beijing. In both cases, the Chinese journalists were inquisitive about journalism in the United States and elsewhere in the West, interested in its techniques, particularly as it related to the coverage of international business and trade, and fascinated with its possibilities.

My tentative conclusions have been substantiated by interviews I conducted with a number of individuals who have extensive experience working with Chinese journalists in recent years. Many have conducted systematic analysis of the changing Chinese media landscape. They share my sense that something of importance is taking place in journalism in this emerging economic giant.

The Chinese journalists I met, particularly in Beijing, were aware of the limitations of Western-style journalism and cautious about the applicability of this type of practice in their country today or even in the near future. But they were extremely curious about its workings in ways that suggested much more than idle curiosity.

In comparison with journalists I have met in similar workshops around the world in the last four years, the Chinese were decidedly upbeat, open, and outwardly oriented. In some ways, they reminded me of...