Chinese media: a professional perspective

• Source: Global Times
• [22:26 August 13 2009]
• Comments

Editor’s Note:

How do foreigners look upon the differences between Chinese and foreign media? How do they think of the performance of Chinese and Western media in the July 5 riots in Xinjiang? Recently, Hiroshi Matsuno (Matsuno), principal consultant of Japan’s Nomura Research Institute, John Gordon (Gordon), vice president of New Channel International Education Group Limited, Renaud De Spens (De Spens), former press officer of French Embassy in China, and Artem Churkin (Churkin), a journalist with the Russian press agency ITAR - TASS working in Beijing, discussed the differences between Chinese and foreign media. The dialogue was compiled by Yang Tingting.

Renaud De Spens

De Spens: There was much less negative coverage by the Western media on the July 5 riots in Xinjiang this year, compared to the March 14 riots in Tibet last year, and most of the negative coverage was urging China to reconsider its policy toward ethnic minority groups. French journalists last year told me they felt angry and concerned because they were not allowed to go to the site, but they could follow the whole incident with their own eyes this year.

And I feel that Chinese journalists are more and more used to getting along with foreigners. I remember last year a Global Times reporter asked me about the attack on torchbearer Jin Jing in Paris. I told him that my answer did not represent the official viewpoint, but the media still stated my name and my position, which made my superior very angry. Now the media has come to understand that sources can be anonymous.