Media in China

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that, although modern China may be adopting a more market-oriented economy, a full transition to a free market system of the press as a Westerner might understand freedom is unlikely. This is examined as a sociological phenomena, known as the frame theory of communication. This frame is also used to consider capitalism and its relationship with a free press. The paper discusses changes in China's attitude toward the media, yet concludes that the state still reserves the right to intervene and limit the media's functions by means of legal censorship, subsidies and direct media control.

From the Paper:

"True, with greater media commercialization, the media, Party and government organs did become business entities, "similar to a western capitalist system with advertising, subscription dependence and capital investment (Winfield & Peng, 2005: 260). But while the Chinese media has become decentralized in terms of who disseminates the information, official censorship still remains. While the press is no longer a mouthpiece for Marxism and Maoism, "China's uniqueness," such as the longstanding respect for Confucianism and hierarchy "has been largely ignored," by scholars who argue that capitalism inevitably and invariably sows the seed of freedom (Winfield & Peng, 2005: 266). Such scholars are blinded by the Western frame of capitalism as unfettered choice."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Goffman, Erving. (1974). Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience. New York, NY et al.: Harper & Row. Excerpt available at URL: http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/methods/publications/frameanalysis/
• Curtin, Michael. (2005). "Murdoch's dilemma, or 'What's the price of TV in China?'" Media, Culture & Society. 27 (2) 155-175.
• Oliver, Pamela E. & Frank Johnson. (2000). "What a Good Idea!" Mobilization: An International Journal. 4(1) 37-54.
• Winfield, Betty Houchin & Zengjun Peng. (2005). "Market or Party Controls: Chinese Media in Transition." Gazette: The International Journal for Communication Studies. London: Sage. 67(3): 255-270.

More papers on Media in China:

• Essay # 32469 : "The Media and China"
• Research Paper # 74509 : "S.A.R.S. Epidemic in China"
• Analytical Essay # 58564 : "Chinese Media Industry"

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