China in the media, 13
Chinese coverage is not only problematic in that it helps to define the nation and place the nation within an international framework. It also demonstrates some broader issues common to the media and its influence on international relations. Mark Alleyne suggests that the media is problematic for international relations because: 1) the media is a potential propaganda conduit; 2) the media claims to be free of censorship; and 3) the media contributes to an unbalanced global news flow.ยน
China coverage clearly demonstrates these three problems. The first two - propaganda and censorship - are often encountered in the Chinese perspective when reporters rely on the official Chinese press agency: Xinhua. A number of the reports from the Globe featured below used Xinhua as a principal - sometimes the only - source. As the state run media agency in a somewhat autocratic one-party state, Xinhua is not an unbiased source. Not only should its reports be confirmed, they should be very clearly qualified so that readers understand the providence of the information reported. But Xinhua is not the only culprit. Many Chinese would consider Western reports on politically sensitive issues - such as Taiwan or Tibet - as anti-Chinese propaganda.
Alleyne's third problem - the unbalanced flow of news - is also clearly evident in China-Canadian media relations. The global flow of information is preponderantly from the North and West to the South and East. That is to say, from developed countries to developing countries. As a result, the Chinese media has a disproportionate coverage of international stories vis-a-vis international coverage of China. While it is outside the scope of this examination, a comparison of China's coverage of Canada with Canadian coverage of China would be interesting. Without having undertaken any quantitative analysis and relying simply on my anecdotal experience I would suggest the coverage is close to equal, which is surprising given that China is a key world state with a population of 1.3 billion compared to Canada's relative unimportance and population which is rivaled by some Chinese municipalities.
1 Mark D. Alleyne, News Revolution: Political and Economic Decisions about Global Information, (New York: St. Marten's Press, 1997), p. 3.