China

Media Environment | News Gathering | Practical Tips

Click on a quick link above to get to a section of your choice

Media Environment

In late 2006 there was a major breakthrough for foreign journalists in China with the introduction of new laws allowing greater freedoms during the period around the 2008 Olympic Games. The regulations, which can be viewed in full at www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t282169.htm, allowed foreign journalists to travel and interview without prior official permission, and were seen as an effort by the government to keep a promise to the International Olympic Committee that it would allow free reporting before and during the 2008 games. The regulations applied to the period from January 1, 2007 until October 17, 2008, but in a surprise announcement just hours before the expiry date they were made permanent.

The government is seperately considering requests to allow foreign news organisations to base journalists in cities beyond the five allowed to date — Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Shenyang.

Travel to Tibet, remains tightly controlled, however, and though media freedom campaigners welcome the move, they point out that the new freedoms do not apply to domestic Chinese journalists, who continue to be subjected to strong government censorship and control.

There are also concerns over the degree to which the regulations will be enforced. Despite some improvement in reporting conditions since their introduction, there have been many reports of foreign journalists being intimidated or assaulted by ‘plainclothes thugs’. The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China reported that in 2007  almost 180 foreign journalists were harassed or detained while reporting on sensitive stories.

Further counterbalancing any moves to free up China’s reporting environment in 2006 was the issuing of a law forbidding local and foreign journalists to report on disasters such as outbreaks of disease, terrorist attacks, or environmental catastrophes before official statements were issued. Additionally, in September 2006 it was announced that only the official Xinhua news agency was now authorised to distribute foreign financial information, news or photographs. The regulations ban foreign information providers from distributing news that ‘endangers China’s national security, reputation and interests’. In an Associated Press report, Yu Jie, a blacklisted writer who has been unable to publish under his own name in China for more than two years, claimed that the new  regulations for foreigners were all for show, while the government strengthened its grip on Chinese writers. In 2007, after a series of high profile blackmail stories involving unregistered journalists, a government crackdown netted 150 ‘fake’ reporters and 300 unregistered publications.

China also tightly controls the internet, and the ‘Great Firewall of China’ has long faced criticism for blocking access to sites the government considers sensitive. These include BBC News, Voice of America, Reporters without Borders, Radio Free Asia, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Olympic Watch, Wikipedia and numerous sites advocating independence for Tibet and Taiwan. Popular blogsite host Blogspot and some photo-sharing websites such as Flickr.com are also periodically blocked. The government banned any new internet bars opening in 2007, citing concerns about internet-addicted youngsters. In early 2008, the government said it was debating whether to relax control of the internet during the Olympics, allowing access to banned websites such as BBC News.

The only English language national newspaper, the China Daily, was revamped and expanded in early 2007 and has an extensive website (http://chinadaily.cn). The People’s Daily can be found at english.peopledaily.com.cn, while China’s main news agency, Xinhua, has Xinhuanet online (www.xinhuanet.com/english). Weekly news magazine the Beijing Review (www.bjreview.com.cn) has been around since 1958 (indeed, former China president Zhou Enlai once worked on it). For arts entertainment and news about what’s on, Beijing This Month (www.btmbeijing.com) is informative. The same company also publishes the monthly magazine Business Beijing (www.btmbeijing.com), ‘officially supported by the Beijing Municipal Government’, which offers financial news from across the country. Monthly magazines Time Out, That’s Beijing (http://www.thebeijinger.com) and City Weekend (http://cityweekend.com.cn) magazines are the most widely distributed English language magazines in Beijing. They can be picked up free of charge in many bars and cafes.

China Central Television International (CCTV-9) is the English-language 24-hour news channel of China Central Television, the country's largest national television network. It was launched in September 2000 and reports on local and global news. Visit www.cctv.com/english/index.shtml for more details about other English language programming on CCTV. Cable stations such as CNN are available in the main cities.

China Radio International (http://english.cri.cn) is the state-funded radio network broadcasting worldwide in numerous languages. It can be found on 1251AM and 91.50FM in Beijing.

Mainstream international news magazines and the English-language Hong Kong papers and cable television are also available in international hotels and some large bookstores. In Beijing, these include the Friendship Store in Guomao, the Wangfujing Foreign Languages Bookstore and the Bookworm in Sanlitun.

News Gathering

The main local employer of foreign journalists is the state-run media: Xinhua news agency (copy editors), China Daily newspaper (writers and editors), China Radio International (newscasters, copy editors and show hosts), and CCTV (copy editors and presenters). Expat magazines Time Out, That’s Beijing, City Weekend and Talk Beijing also hire editors and journalists.

Wages and conditions vary considerably. State-run media usually offer accommodation, air tickets from a journalist’s home country and health insurance. If you are interested in working in China and don’t have the money and energy to survive in the visa limbo of freelancing, state-run media are an easy, if dull, option. They regularly hire foreigners based on phone interviews and emailed editing tests. They arrange work visas and generally help with getting organised. Regulations on working for other media on the side vary between employers. Generally speaking, a blind eye is turned to any moonlighting except in the case of heavy government criticism or negative reporting on sensitive issues.

For foreign correspondents, the rule most journalists observe is: stay ahead of the posse. Get in quick, do the interviews, and get out. If you do happen to write something that upsets the authorities, you are more likely nowadays to be told off than expelled from the country. Foreign correspondents who displease government officials are called in to the Foreign Ministry and given a dressing down. In addition, major television stations such as CNN have discovered that while their reporters are not prevented from doing stories, sometimes a broadcast will simply go off-air in China for the duration of what might be considered a ‘sensitive’ report. Bear in mind that if punishment is meted out it tends to fall on locals employed as assistants or interpreters. They can be, and periodically are, arrested and given the third degree — beatings, electric shocks and prolonged interrogation — to discover sources and to make them more cautious.

The most sensitive subjects are coverage of the suppression of Falun Gong (which is likely to cause complaints if the story is seen as too sympathetic), criticism of China’s policy on Taiwan and Muslim separatists in the far western Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Landless impoverished farmers who have been illegally evicted by property developers are a growing group as cities sprawl into agricultural areas. Protests and demonstrations against corrupt officials and cheating developers are also becoming increasingly common. These often large and violent occurrences are referred to by the government as ‘mass incidents’ and amateur footage is frequently posted on internet file sharing sites. Such ‘incidents’ never appear on news bulletins and foreign reporters attempting to cover them invariable have difficulty.

Correspondents say there is now an immense flow of information about most aspects of China coming from domestic media, academics and foreign media. Internal travel is now easy and inexpensive. And, unlike former times when simple communications could be difficult, there are now more than 400 million cell phones and a similar number of landlines connecting individuals.

Another note of caution: as China has opened up scores of keen young journalists have flooded cities on spec, looking to make a name for themselves in the world’s fastest developing country. Unless you speak Mandarin Chinese, competing is an uphill task. Mandarin is the key to making yourself useful, either as a local hire with foreign news bureaux or with the welter of city guide-type magazines. The pickings may be lean to start with, but living Chinese-style is cheap and the China story is of growing interest to overseas editors. Remember, too, that you will not be able to access government officials for interviews or attend press conferences without accreditation.

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club (http://www.fccchina.org/) is extremely helpful to journalists working in Beijing for the first time. It does not have a club house, but organises useful briefings and pool reports, and goes in to bat for journalists with problems. In addition, the International Press Centre, run by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has a guidebook on rules for foreign journalists, and a directory of foreign news bureaux in China. English language media have mushroomed in China’s main cities in recent years, with new newspapers, magazines, websites and television channels.

There are several types of visa for foreigners wanting to stay in China longer than the standard three month tourist L-Visa allows. If you are hired by any of the state-run media you will normally be issued with a one year Z-Visa. It is also quite common for foreigners to arrive in China on student, business or tourist visas before being hired locally. Employers will usually arrange appropriate visas for full-time employees. There are a number of legitimate (and numerous illegitimate) companies offering help with securing visas in China. Their services do not come cheaply. One of the most popular companies is Traders Link (www.traders-link.com).

Note that foreigners intending to live in China should take their passport, a passport-sized photograph and current address details to register at the nearest Public Security Bureau within 24 hours of arrival. Failure to carry out this formality can lead to serious consequences and a hefty fine when applying for visas or jobs. In reality, many foreigners who live in China do not do so, and it is unlikely that you will ever be asked to produce your passport in a random check. However, passports are required as identification to check in to hotels, board domestic flights and use public internet bars.

The relevant visas are:
J-1 Visa: for accredited foreign resident correspondents in China.
J-2 Visa: for foreign correspondents on temporary interview assignments n China.
Z-Visa: for long-term employment in China. Valid for a maximum of one year and renewable annually.
F-Visa: (Usually referred to as a business visa). For research, business, scientific, technological and cultural exchanges, short-term advanced studies or internships. Valid for a maximum of six months.
X-Visa: For full-time students. Valid for 6-12 months, depending on the study course. Contact the Chinese embassy in New Zealand for more information (www.chinaembassy.org.nz/eng/default.htm).

Practical Tips

• The official language is Mandarin, with Cantonese spoken in the south. Many government ministries will provide translators to accredited foreign journalists at no cost, but check ahead of time. It is also easy to find English language university students in major cities who will act as paid translators. However, if you have no understanding of Chinese, you may prefer to use someone recommended by other foreigners. www.thatsbj.com usually carries numerous ads by underemployed young Chinese with good English skills looking for work. If you decide to go to China, you should start learning survival Chinese skills immediately. Private teachers and language schools abound in China, with hourly rates for a private tutor starting at around 40 yuan per hour. www.chinesepod.com is a popular web-based language learning system.

• All of China, including Hong Kong, operates in a single time zone (GMT+8). There is no summer time adjustment. Chinese mainland SIM cards for unlocked international mobile phones are widely available — look out for China Mobile booths at international airports. After buying a Chinese phone number, free credit can be topped up with charge cards available at newsstands.

• If you are hired in China, be sure that your employer provides health cover, otherwise you may find yourself grappling with enormous queues and an insurmountable language barrier at a public hospital. There is no GP system. If you are sick, you must go to a hospital. For minor ailments, pharmacies sell a wide range of Chinese traditional medicine and western-style drugs, including some — such as antibiotics and the  contraceptive pill — that require a prescription in most western countries. Prices are low, though drugs are not usually recognisable brands and carry no information in English.

• If you are planning to live in Beijing, the classifieds and forum on That’s Beijing’s website (www.thatsbj.com) are good sources of information about finding an apartment and settling in. Beware of unscrupulous agents out to cheat hapless and uncomprehending foreigners. If possible, negotiate apartment rental with the help of a Chinese friend or co-worker, or use an agent who has been recommended to you.

Contributor: Teri Fitsell | Updated by Emma Moore

Back to top

Journalism Internship survival kit

Kristina Koveshnikova, a graduate journalist who was sponsored by the Asia New Zealand Foundation to travel to Beijing to do a three-month internship at China Daily website, combined her experiences in a ‘survival kit’ for fellow students going to China. Read more