Chinese Government and Media - Essay Example

Introduction Many international journalists and reporters have accused the Chinese government of using owned media as a too for spreading propaganda. They assert that the Chinese government deliberately hides information from its natives or it twists information in order to potray them in a positive light. This essay will examine the validity of these statements by comparing two state owned news sources. PART 1: An analysis of two major Chinese sites Xinhuanet.com Taiwan issues The latter mentioned paper reported on fifteenth September last year that the people of China were strongly opposed to Taiwan's' opposed. At that time, Taiwan was seeking independent representation in the United Nations. This was a move that solicited negative remarks form a large number of Chinese more so in the Diaspora. According to this report, Chinese living in Canberra voiced their complaints against Taiwan's attempt to make themselves independent of the rest of China. The Chinese in Diaspora added that the only Group that had a right to represent China in the UN was the Chinese government. Xinhaunet claimed that a large number of independent Chinese bodies oppose Taiwan's move to seek independent representation. Some of them included Australian Capital Territory, Federation of Chinese independence and Chinese Australian cultural exchange. Additionally, Chinese in the Philippines also express their opposition of the Taiwan's move. The report further adds some of the views held by representatives of this body. Their views mostly highlight the government's position on the matter. For instance, there are references to the benefits that will come out of unification of different straits in China. These proponents assert that unification of Taiwan with the rest of China will prosper the economy. As if this is not enough, it will promote peace in the region. Assertions made by the Taiwanese leader to seek independent representation will only threaten peace in the region. The article cites the fact that there were close to six hundred Chinese in the Philippines who expressed their displeasure about these current developments. (Xihnua, 2007) Additionally, the article also expresses sentiments put forward by Mongolian Chinese. The latter group also expressed their disdain over the Taiwanese leader's move. They asserted that Taiwan is a fundamental part of China and no single force can claim to separate from the rest of China. They also believe that if Taiwan is to seek representation, then all one point six billion Chinese should be given the opportunity to decide their future. Chen-the Taiwanese leader, outraged this latter group. They called this move a trick and claimed that there was indeed no room for discussion. It is very interesting to note that mot of the sentiments in the report mostly back up the government's stand point on the issue. One can clearly see that the speakers and groups chosen were government friendly. Their remarks were rather harsh but these were used as a tool to voice the Chinese government's standpoint. It is quite possible to find other Chinese groups that opposed the government standpoint. Nevertheless, such sentiments have no place in a government owned media outlet. Most of the information portrayed above indicates the fact that government owned media outlets normally report one-sided stories. There is very little controversy in this article and this is characteristic that is common among many other newspaper outlets in the country. Tibet Issues It is very clear that Xinhaunet supports the government's view on the Tibetan issue. This is especially in relation to their recent media releases. On 27th March 2008, Xinhua reported that the Chinese president was to meet with the United States president to discuss the Tibetan issue. The report affirms US support. It quotes the sentiments expressed by President Bush that they believe in the unification of China and that there is only one China. Additionally, the report also adds the Chinese presidents' views on the matter. President asserts that thy have been quite patient with the Dalai Lama. Furthermore, the Chinese government has no problems with the spiritual leader as long as he stops making remarks about Tibet's independence and as long as he does no incite Tibet youth. The report further nullifies some of the arguments put forward by pro Tibet supporters. They had asserted that the protests held in Lhasa were quite peaceful and that no single individual engaged in those protests with peaceful intentions. He adds that there was immense destruction of property, looting and other unlawful activities that must not go unpunished. Those activities were called 'crimes against humanity' and were seen as a threat to social order. (Xinhua, 2008) The article also brings out the benefits that could result out of a peaceful and United China. These were sentiments expressed by the President himself. He claimed that it was the responsibility of the government to reinforce law and order within the country. On March 26, the same newspaper also reported how the monk has been pretending to be an innocent person. The Dalai Lama was the object of criticism in this article. The article repeatedly uses words such an dialogue and non violence in quotes when referring to the Dalai Lama. This is an indication that this particular media outlet strongly despises the view expressed by international media about the monk. It is trying to indicate that there is very little evidence to support those claims made by other analysts. On March 24th, The same newspaper also highlights how other foreigners support the Chinese government stance on Tibet. The article quotes and American organization's standpoint on the issue. it also adds that many analysts in international media have unfairly accused the Chinese government of handling the Tibetan protests unfairly yet this American organization believes that they had handled it the best way possible. Chinese earthquake In an article released on 26 May 2008 bout the earthquake, there was lot of emphasis on issues surrounding the nature of the geographical effect and numbers were discussed. There is very little emphasis on the human aspect of the earthquake. According to the report, there are close to four hundred and twenty houses that perished in the earthquake. Additionally, there are also sixty-three people who obtained minor injuries while les than ten obtained serious injuries. The report assures that public about the Chinese government;' commitment to providing assistance. The government had promised about one hundred and sixty people would receive assistance and would get access to certain townships. It is quite interesting to note that there is very little mention of the humanitarian aspect. One cannot read stories of the specific individuals rescued in the stories or those who are still facing desperate situations. This kind of writing style is quite common in government owned media outlets. The stories mainly focus on facts about the earthquake but they rarely give the views and opinions held by specific individuals. This is a common characteristic in international media outlets and brings out the fact that there are outstanding issues prevailing in the Chinese question. China Daily Tibet issues On 30th Aril, there was an article talking about the autonomy of the Chinese people. According to this to page long report, the Chinese government is committed towards seeing that the inherent rights of the ethnic minorities are upheld. There were assertions that the Chinese government has devoted mot of its time towards granting its ethnic minorities regional minorities. There are inherent economic and social benefits that came out of this system .the article also pointed out that the system has been in place ever since the mid twentieth century up to present day. On March 20th, the China Daily reported that there were a number of people (it was estimated at thirty) arrested for their involvement in the demonstrations that took place in Lhasa. The report highlighted the length of their sentences. They were given a minimum of three years in jail after passing the sentences in court. The report further adds the nature of damages caused by the riots in Lhasa; No. of shop looted-908 No. of homes torched-120 Total amount of property damaged-244 million Yuan It is also interesting to note that on the very day that all other members of international media were talking about Tibet, the Chin Daily was quick to lay blame on a particular individual. According o that report, the Chinese government believed that the Tibet protests were an act of incitement for the Dali Lama. They asserted that he was responsible for arranging the whole thing and that he was threatening the stability of the region. According to the report, this monk (who is in exile in India) was coordinating anti-Chinese protests from his current location. The report further adds that all ethnic groups in China strongly oppose these protests and that there is very string evidence o support the notion that this Tibetan spiritual leader was behind them. The report also mentions the nature of the destructions that occurred after the riots. (China Daily, 2008) PART 2 Analysis of the issues The presentations made about the latter mentioned issues all indicate that there is a slant to the reports. However, the most interesting is the way these government owned media outlets have reported the Tibetan issue. Articles in the China Daily and Xinhua are one sided in nature. It is very obvious that the government is trying to paint a negative picture of the pro-Tibetan participants. This is because there is no mention of any single view by the Tibetan side. No article has even mentioned the reasons behind Tibetan agitations. These articles only talk about the negative repercussions of the Tibetan question. It is indeed quite interesting to see that the articles already identified a likely suspects; the spiritual leader of the Tibetans. However, this kind of approach only brings out the propagandistic role of the media in this regard. If the dailies were independent, then they would have validated their claims. There is no tangible evidence to link the protests to the Dalai Lama. It is no secret that the Chinese government has a cold relationship with this Tibetan monk. The articles indicate that the state is using media outlets to change the perspectives of the natives. Xinhua handpicked group and associations that supported the Chinese government's views. For instance, the indicated that US president; George W. Bush supports Chinese unification policy ion Tibet. Besides these, they quoted the words spoken by only pro-Chinese associations in the Diaspora. The one side nature of these articles is an indication that the Chinese government is using them to pot ray a certain image. The Chinese government tends to hide real issues form the Chinese people by focusing on non-controversial issues. This brings out the kind of approach the Chinese government has been using for the past two hundred years. Many Chinese citizens know the truth behind Tibet's calls for independence because the government (through media outlets such as these) has been hiding their history from them. It is fond of painting a positive picture about nay situation. For instance, the China Daily chose to show pictures of some ladies smiling on their front page on the day when other newspapers around the world were indicating pictures such as the one shown below; Source: Finding Dulcinea (2008): Focus on Tibet retrieved from http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/multi-day/sitings/16-weekly-feature/Focus-on-Tibet.html accesed on 7th June 2008 The story about the Tibetan riot was squeezed to a corner of the China Daily. Even words describing the riot were accusatory in nature and they paid a lot of attention to the damages caused by rioters. The Chinese government has convinced the mainstream people of China that Tibet and Taiwan are inherent parts of China. They have hidden the real historical and political issues causing unrest between Tibet and the government. Instead, they have their citizens believe that protests are only a sign of unlawfulness. This means that the people of China do not know why their counterparts are discontent with the government. The government controls media outlets in order to hide these truths form the rest of the population. PART 3 Secondary material There are claims by the international media that the Chinese government undermined the rights of the Tibetan people. These accusations are well founded. First, Tibet and mainstream China have always been at conflict with one another. The Chinese government has attempted to control their way of life and has even tried influences the way their select their spiritual leader. International newspapers have claimed that the Chinese government halted the study of Tibetan books and languages in schools in order to suppress their nationalistic tendencies. Additionally, the Chinese government requires Tibetans to denounce their loyalty to their spiritual leader before they can get jobs. (New York Times, 2008) By imposing on Tibetan spiritual life, the Chinese government undermines the principles of democracy. The government owned media issues have never mentioned any of these issues. Instead, al they ever do is point accusing fingers at other parties. Additionally, the Para-military has not been effective in handling protesters. The New York Times reported how this government body killed eight individuals after protesting monetary attacks. Such events are rely covered in Chinese dailies. When the Chinese government chooses to cover them, they twist it all around to conform to their values. Dondup (2007) gives an intense insight into matters surrounding the Tibetan protests. The interesting aspect about this article's its neutrality given the fact that author is neither Tibetan nor Chinese. Many analysts have asserted that the Chinese government needs to embrace a compromise with the Tibetan people. This is through the middle way policy. According to this policy, Tibet may not gain independence (as it is currently seeking) but it should be content with autonomy in the same manner that the government has awarded other groups in the country. The author claims that these are not viable solutions. Proponents of such an argument believe that Tibet stands to gain a lot form this arrangement. They also believe that it is not likely for the Chinese government to grant Tibet independence. (People's Daily, 2008) However, such a perspective may not necessarily be the best idea for Tibet. First, the government has demonstrated its unwillingness to grant Tibet independence. The China Daily and many others have indicted that pursuing such a course of action would be unconstitutional. In fact, the Chinese government rewards leaders who oppose autonomy in the region. This implies that even when the government claims that it has granted Tibet autonomy, there will be minimal changes to indicate this change. Additionally, the Chinese government does not support separation. Part of the reason for this is that the Chinese stand s to loose a lot from their autonomy. Currently, the government has established a railway in the region. The government has been sending numerous Chinese settlers into Lhasa and many other regions of Tibet. It believes that it can only exercise control in Tibet by increasing the numbers of Chinese settlers there. Tibetans are angry about this because the Chinese government is trying to changing their lives severely By increasing the numbers of Chinese settlers the government is making Tibet overpopulated and is also affecting their economic and social situations. For instance, the prices of their goods are increasing by the day. Other disadvantages of denying the Tibetans independence include the fact that unification leaves Tibet at the mercy of the Chinese government. This is because their policies will be determined by the decisions made by this powerful group. The Chinese government will be making decisions that suit their majority of their citizens rather than small minority group like Tibet yet the Tibetan and Chinese economies are very different. One of the arguments for the unification is the fact that Tibet can get tap some of China' great economic policies. However, China's economic policies mostly favor the manufacturers and sideline framers. Tibet is not as developed as China and chances are that these policies will destroy farmers in Tibet. Besides these, every individual has an inherent sense of national pride and Tibetans are no exception. They would like to express their sense of nationalism and patriotism and this can only be achieved if Tibet was independent. One only has to see the sentiments expressed by the UK, Spain and the like. These countries al belong to the European Union but they have still maintained their independence. One can say the same thing about Tibet. (China Daily, 2007) The latter mentioned facts indicate the other side of the story. Tibetans have well founded reasons to protest unification with the rest of China. The Chinese government stands to loose so much if it grants Tibet independence. This is why it has tried portraying the Tibetan protests as acts of hooliganism. Little has been said about the foundations for their arguments. Conclusion The essay has revealed how the Chinese government uses media outlets as a propagandistic tool. This is seen in their coverage of the Tibetan protests, their explanations of Tibetan history and their one sided nature. Reference: Xihnua (2007): Overseas Chinese condemn Taiwan authorities' plan (15/09/2007) retrieved from http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/14/content_6723957.htm accessed on 7th June 2008 Xinhua (2008): Foreigners in Tibet, retrieved from http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/25/content_7851676.htm accessed on 7th June 2008 China Daily (2008): Dalai Lama Behind Sabotage, China Daily Newspaper, 15th March 2008 New York Times (2008): Rioting in Lhasa, retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/world/asia/18tibet.htmlhp accessed on 7th June 2008 People's Daily (2008): The Middle Way of the Dalai Lama, July 26, 2006, retrieved from http://english.people.com.cn/200607/26/eng20060726_286808 accessed on 7th June 2008 China Daily (2007): Railway Will Not Cause Settlers to Flood, July 14, 2006, retrieved from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2006-07/14/content_640716.htm accessed on 7th June 2008 Dondup, K. (2008): Why the Middle Path is a Dead End, a report for the Canada Tibet Committee, 25th January 2007 Source: Finding Dulcinea (2008): Focus on Tibet retrieved from http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/multi-day/sitings/16-weekly-feature/Focus-on-Tibet.html accessed on 7th June 2008 Read More