Chinese Media - Research Proposal Example

Chinese media Introduction China has one of the least degrees of media freedom as compared to the rest of the world. In more specific terms, it has only surpassed five other countries. These countries are Iran, Syria, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea. Out of all of these, only China has peace, stability and an outstanding economy. As such, this illustrates the extent to which the Chinese government has cuckolded its media. In an age whereby the media and press are experiencing unprecedented freedom, the Chinese government has a long way to go before it is at par with the rest of the world. In the endeavor to maintain their hold on the conventional media, the Chinese government has blocked the popular sites of facebook, twitter and YouTube amongst other sites that are a platform for free expression. The Chinese people are left with the option of building their own sites that conform to the policies of their government. One of these sites is Sina Weibo. This site has been revolutionary since its inception in the year 2009. Much of its success is owed to the closure of twitter, in China, around that year. In order to show the significance Weibo in the context of Chinese media freedom, this paper will analyze its role in reporting the high speed train collision in Wuhan. Weibo has been instrumental in propagating social justice, as such; it has become a precipitate of government accountability that has been lacking in China. Analysis Sina Weibo has registered approximately two hundred and fifty million users to date. Chinese weibo has the largest following in comparison to any one of the global sites operating in the world at the moment. Owing to the large Chinese population, Sina WEibo is larger than the sum of all other sites combined. Out of this, ten percent are frequent users of a daily basis. Ten percent of two hundred and fifty million is quite a considerable figure. It has become a platform of discussion of the most contagious issues pertaining to China. Most of these however arise from social, political and cultural issues. This is contrary to the social sites in the west. Western sites are primarily social interaction enhancing mediums. This is exemplified by the interactions on facebook. The power of sina weibo is sourced from its function as a major forum for hosting public opinion. Unlike twitter which is mainly a social networking site, its counterpart Sina Weibo mainly focuses on public opinion of ongoing affairs. It achieves this by providing for its users a free opportunity to participate in public affairs. An avenue via which the public could voice out its concerns has been all but lacking. Several instances that have over the years presented themselves show the power Sina Weibo yields. The Chinese government is unable to disregard the demands of the public when channeled via the appropriate medium. Physical confrontation with the government is unfruitful. The Chinese people have now found a platform where they can air out their views without the fear of reprisals from their government. As such, when incidences as those outlined above are witnessed in the site, the public outcry that follows is of a magnitude rarely witnessed in the past. When these instances are compared to the public outcry and condemnation that followed the train collision in Wuhan, they are not at par. The public anger was of the extent that it resulted in catapulting Sina Weibo into the national platform that it currently boasts. As such, analysis is on this particular event. The link to the event is: http://english.cntv.cn/program/china24/20110725/103683.shtml. This website has been chosen since it offers the most detailed description of the event. The Beijing shanghai link had been claimed to be one of the safest and fastest train systems in the whole world. As such, travelers were assured of their safety, when aboard the post modern railway system. However, barely a month into the opening of the high-speed railway link, two of the bullet trains collided. The result was forty passengers dead and one hundred and seventy two injured (QIAO 2012). The collision took place near the eastern city of Wenzhou, in the south of shanghai. The surprising fact is that, the two trains that collided were not part of the high speed railway network, which China had so aggressively been establishing. However, both trains were part of the first generation technology that China had just recently adopted. The exact occurrence leading to the accident has not yet been confirmed. However, the adopted version is that the first train lost power and stalled dead on the tracks. The second train that was heading in the same direction was unable to stop on noticing the first train. Consequently, the collision involved the last two cars of the first train and the first four cars of the second train. Two cars were thrown off the bridge while a third one was left dangling in the air. The Chinese publics were horrified by the news of the tragedy. However, when pictures of the tragedy were made public, what ensued was public anger of unprecedented extent. The situation was made worse by the fact that the public had already voiced their dissatisfaction with the new railway system. This had been done barely a few days after it much hyped public launch. These complaints were mainly voiced out via the online sphere. There had been separate cases whereby users of the new system were delayed for hours on end. Additionally, since there was a power shutdown, air conditioning was virtually non-existent. However, the main rationale propagated by the authorities was poor weather. (The picture below shows a scene of the train crash) The collision occurred at a time that had been characterized by brewing anger and dissatisfaction with the new railway system. Thus, the collision stimulated the already brewing anger. The initial reports of the collision only filtered in via Sina Weibo. Owing to the high number of followers of the site, the news spread like wild fire. Given the statements of the chief engineer of the railways, it had been thought that the railways could not have collided or become involved in any accident, in the current life time. As such, when the collision occurred, users of the site found a link to an interview in which the chief engineer had expressed these claims. This brings into light another use of the media in China. Users of Sina Weibo were able to dig into online archives and finally came across the interview. This archive culminated in the dismissal of a number of administrators in the railways ministry arising from claims of corruption. The ensuing action by the railways ministry turned things from bad to worse. When they decided to bury the second train, public anger aimed at the ministry demanded the ministry to explain the reason for burying the car. The ministry cited the geography of the region where the accident took place as hindering effective retrieval exercises. The Chinese people were angered by the disrespect shown towards the injured and the dead. The railways ministry was acting in complete disregard of the valuables left behind by the dead and the injured. It is essential to note, in the absence of online political platforms akin to Sina Weibo, such incidences by the Chinese government could have continued unabated. This is exactly what the Chinese government demands of its media, to turn a left eye to social wrongs being committed by its agents. (The picture below show the actual burying of the cars) Prior to the accident, the Chinese had been enthusiastic about engaging in high speed trains. However, the political climate and the watchfulness of the Chinese have necessitated the adoption of a slower but cautious pace in the building of the high speed railway system (YANG & CAO 2012). The onslaught of the public anger towards the railway minister culminated in the punishment of fifty four ministry officials chief of whom was the railways minister Liu Zhijun. Aside from this, the Chinese had to take further actions so as to assure the Chinese public of the safety of the high speed railway systems. These actions entailed cutting down the rate of work that was being conducted on the railway system. Additionally, the government conducted nationwide safety checks throughout the entirety of the railway system and the final undertaking was to cut down the speeds being registered by the trains. One may ask of the significance of Sina Weibo in this train crash since the conventional media could still have reported on the issue. The answer to this rests on two rationales. First, the rate at which the news of the accident reached the public was much quicker than could have been managed by the conventional media streams. This is based on the fact that a significant number of journalists have accounts in Sina Weibo. As such, they receive their information and sources for stories via the same. Only the Weibo could and can still manage to public such nation altering events. The second rationale is hinged on the restrictions and control the government has on the conventional media. The mainstream media cannot contravene the laws and wishes set by the Chinese government. As such, the Chinese people only hear what the government wants them to believe. The action by the government, in the wake of the accident, confirms this assertion. The government sent a memo to CCTV and other media outlets on the guidelines for reporting on the accident. These guidelines restricted the mainstream media from reporting on the actualities of the accident. Additionally, it prevented media outlets from carrying out their own investigations of the cause of the accident. These restrictions are a more common action by the government in curtailing the freedom of media in China. These actions, however, are not potent in the context of Weibo. There currently is no avenue via which the government can restrict free speech on the Weibo. As such, Sina Weibo is much more powerful in comparison to mainstream media. In knowing this, the significance of Sina Weibo in reporting and seeking government action in the wake of the accident cannot be downplayed. It is clear that were if it not for the public outcry anger that was enabled by Sina Weibo, then the consequences of the accident could not have been felt by the government. This paper has outlined the potent nature of Weibo. In an attempt to avoid bias, the shortcomings of Weibo will be outlined. The public outcry on contagious issues via Weibo is characterized by short bursts. First, a topic or an issue can only maintain its relevance in the internet for a short time. As such, such a trait can never instigate real change in the cultural and political system in China. Secondly, the public is only speaking on these issues under the veil of their Weibo accounts. Change in the media regulations will be achieved only when public outcry and fury adorns a face. Freedom of state media is a significant force in achieving democracy. In its absence, democracy will always be unrealistic in China. Though Weibo is a step in the right direction towards achieving media freedom, there is still a lot to be done. Conclusion Sina Weibo is regarded as a sister to tweeter. However, the Chinese site is focused primarily on politics and social welfare unlike its counterpart which acts as a social networking site. The media censorship, by the Chinese government, is a new age propaganda curtailing on the rights of the citizens. The power of Weibo in impeding the propaganda intentions of the government is a glimpse of the potential of media in ensuring accountability of the government. It is no secret that media freedom in China has a long way to go but, Chinese sites akin to Weibo are precipitates of a change in culture that is fast approaching. It is via such sites that independent media outlets can eventually be created and allowed to operate without restrictions. However, this must be a two way endeavor. The Chinese government must also be willing to play its role. References QIAO, H., 2012. Wenzhou crash report blames design flaws and poor management. International Railway Journal (New York, N.Y. : 2001). 52. YANG, M., & CAO, S., 2012. Has the Wenzhou train crash derailed China's high-speed railway plan? Singapore, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. Read More