Superficial take on China's complexities

• Source: Global Times
• [01:18 March 10 2010]
• Comments

Western media often see Chinese events through the lens of the Communist political culture, while some Chinese media cover news in the West as if every event is deeply influenced by commercial culture. Sometimes, this is true.

Yet both need to step back and re-evaluate their perceptions and stereotypes.

The ongoing media scrum dominating the "two sessions" is an excellent example.

With an army of more than 2,600 journalists, including 800 from the foreign media, competition can be very fierce. In the high-level political arena, every journalist, at home and from abroad, is eager to seize the opportunity to make a mark.

But lack of knowledge of Chinese realities and jumping to conclusions without enough homework is by no means adequate for covering a complicated nation like China.

Such wacky headlines as "The super-show of the Stone Age-Communists" and ideology-loaded lines like "Red, red everywhere. The shining star on the ceiling…" may be an extreme case. What is not uncommon is the expert-like analysis of China's problems, wherein the Western media assumes a moral high ground but in essence is misleading.

In the massive and increasingly complicated landscape of China, there is never a simple solution to prickly, deep-rooted social problems like the hukou (residency permits) system.

Such Western comments as China "needs a plan to allow people to become permanent city residents" and "that would help consumption," though calculated to strike a familiar chord among their audience, tend to miss the point.

They neglect the hard fact that some Chinese farmers who eventually get the hukou in cities are trying to get back their hukou in the countryside.

More homework should be done to understand Chinese farmers' deep feelings for their land, the tough job of getting enough funding for putting migrant farmers on equal social footing, and the experience of the pilot programs for hukou reform in Chongqing Municipality and some other cities.

Similar is the case with reporting or discussing the yuan's appreciation. "It would be good for China," is a typical tone adopted to draw Chinese or international readers. But in reality, currency policy is so critical to China's economy that a cautious approach must be taken.

Any sharp appreciation will give rise to a series of negative chain reactions in employment, trade and many aspects of life.

This issue requires deeper study than possible under conditions of deadline-driven daily journalism of the kind prevalent in the West.

Though prescriptive and agenda-setting journalism may jeopardize the credibility of some Western media outlets, Chinese media, supposed to benefit from homeground advantage in its coverage of the "two sessions," have not made a strong impact, either.

Here, the problems are different: Journalism, in another way, tends to shy away from sensitive issues and fails to address the real concerns of vulnerable social groups.

With media gaining more access and freedom for coverage in China, there would be more arenas like the "two sessions" where domestic and foreign media are given equal opportunities to cooperate with and compete against each other.

Complex as transitional China may be, it is simple journalistic rules of objectivity, fairness and balance that can win media real credibility.