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A Survey Report on Chinese Journalists in China*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2010

Fen Lin
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Abstract

This report presents a portrait of contemporary liberal Chinese journalists. Compared with the national average ten years ago, a typical journalist in Guangzhou is younger, better-educated and more likely to be female, and less likely to be a Communist Party member. The survey shows that the literati value coexists with both the modern professional and Party journalism value during the current journalistic professionalization. Such coexistence results in a complexity in journalists' attitude and behaviour. Journalists tend to be inactively liberal: possessing liberal attitudes but not engaging themselves in action. The survey also reports evidence on the contingency of journalistic behaviour logic. Professional logic shows its popularity when journalists encounter conflicts involving legal, economic and political concerns, but not in cases involving moral or cultural conflicts. Neither professional nor commercial logic is strong enough to oppose political logic when journalists are handling severe political issues.

Type
Research Report
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 202 , June 2010 , pp. 421 - 434
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 2010

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References

1 Guangzhou Yearbook Committee, Guangzhou Yearbook. (Guangzhou: Guangzhou Yearbook Press, 2006)Google Scholar.

2 The sampled newspapers included: Guanzhou ribao (Guangzhou Daily), Xinxi ribao (Information Daily), Nanfang ribao (Southern Daily), Nanfang du shibao (Southern Metropolitan Daily), Nanfang zhoumou (Southern Weekend), 21 shiji jiongji baodao (21st Century Business Herald), Nanfang nongcun bao (Southern Village News), Yangcheng wanbao (Yangcheng Evening), Xin kuaibao (New Express), Mingying jingji bao (Private Economy News), Guangdong jianshe bao (Guangdong Construction Daily).

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8 All p-values reported here are adjusted for the survey design.

9 Chen, Zhu and Wu. “The Chinese journalist,” pp. 9–30.

10 Ibid.

11 Lin Fen. “Serving on the edge: Chinese journalism as a risky ping pong game,” North American Chinese Sociologists Association Annual Meeting, New York City, 10 August 2007.

12 The data on autonomy over page design exclude reporters due to division of labour.

13 News discipline refers to the rules set by propaganda departments, which is different from professional rules of news.

14 Guoming, Yu. “Woguo xinwen gongzuozhe zhiye yishi yu zhiye daode diaocha baogao” (“A survey report on Chinese journalists' professional views and ethics”), Minzhu yu kexue (Democracy and Science), Vol. 3 (1998), pp. 10–17Google Scholar.

15 Lin Fen, “Turning gray: transition of political communication in China, 1978–2008,” dissertation, department of Sociology, University of Chicago, 2008.

16 Ibid.

17 Fen, Lin. “Dancing beautifully, but with hands cuffed? A historical review of journalism formation during media commercialization in China,” Perspectives, Vol. 7, No. 2 (2006), pp. 79–98Google Scholar.

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