China invests billions in state news agency
A project worth billions: With extensive investments, the Chinese leadership wants to make the state news agency Xinhua and state television better known internationally. The government plans to invest huge sums in the restructuring of the national media.
A project worth billions: With extensive investments, the Chinese leadership wants to make the state news agency Xinhua and state television better known internationally. The government plans to invest huge sums in the restructuring of the national media.
"It is an urgent strategic priority to make our communication capability commensurate with our international standing," wrote propaganda chief Liu Yunshan in an article for the party organ Qiushi. According to media policy circles, the Chinese leadership is willing to invest the equivalent of about 5.4 billion francs to restructure the state media.
According to media expert and government advisor Steven Dong of Tsinghua University, the state news agency's overseas offices have already been better equipped technically to produce television and radio reports as well as reports for Internet blogs in the future, in addition to text news.
It is very likely that Xinhua will receive a television license this year or next, Dong said. The state agency would thus also compete with the state television station CCTV.
Intellectuals call for TV boycott
A group of 22 intellectuals is currently taking action against this. They accuse the state television CCTV of broadcasting propaganda. Especially the news of CCTV are essentially propaganda of the government, they say in an open letter with the title "Boycott CCTV, defend yourself against brainwashing", which was published on the Internet on Tuesday. More critical issues are either completely ignored or not sufficiently addressed in the broadcasts, it said.
The term "propaganda broadcast" is more appropriate for CCTV's programming than the term news broadcast, the signatories further explained. One of them, lawyer Tang Jitian, told the AP news agency that CCTV is supported by taxpayers, but the broadcaster does not work for taxpayers. In many cases, he said, it has deceived taxpayers. The Chinese-language website Boxun.com, where the open letter was published, is banned in China.
The broadcaster rejected the accusations. CCTV had, for example, reported on the unrest in Tibet last year or the scandal over melamine-tested dairy products "in a timely and sufficient manner," Wang Jianhong, deputy head of the department responsible for editing the reports, said in a fax to the AP.
"It is an urgent strategic priority to make our communication capability commensurate with our international standing," wrote propaganda chief Liu Yunshan in an article for the party organ Qiushi. According to media policy circles, the Chinese leadership is willing to invest the equivalent of about 5.4 billion francs to restructure the state media.
According to media expert and government advisor Steven Dong of Tsinghua University, the state news agency's overseas offices have already been better equipped technically to produce television and radio reports as well as reports for Internet blogs in the future, in addition to text news.
It is very likely that Xinhua will receive a television license this year or next, Dong said. The state agency would thus also compete with the state television station CCTV.
Intellectuals call for TV boycott
A group of 22 intellectuals is currently taking action against this. They accuse the state television CCTV of broadcasting propaganda. Especially the news of CCTV are essentially propaganda of the government, they say in an open letter with the title "Boycott CCTV, defend yourself against brainwashing", which was published on the Internet on Tuesday. More critical issues are either completely ignored or not sufficiently addressed in the broadcasts, it said.
The term "propaganda broadcast" is more appropriate for CCTV's programming than the term news broadcast, the signatories further explained. One of them, lawyer Tang Jitian, told the AP news agency that CCTV is supported by taxpayers, but the broadcaster does not work for taxpayers. In many cases, he said, it has deceived taxpayers. The Chinese-language website Boxun.com, where the open letter was published, is banned in China.
The broadcaster rejected the accusations. CCTV had, for example, reported on the unrest in Tibet last year or the scandal over melamine-tested dairy products "in a timely and sufficient manner," Wang Jianhong, deputy head of the department responsible for editing the reports, said in a fax to the AP.
