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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 012885 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2031 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCUL SOCI CH
SUBJECT: CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTARY CALLS FOR LOOSENING LEASH 
ON CHINA'S MEDIA 
 
 
Classified By: Acting Political Section Internal Unit Chief Susan A. Th 
ornton.  Reasons 1.4 (b/d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) A string of recent media pieces calling for a 
stronger watchdog role for Chinese media, including a 
daring commentary on the popular Sina.com web portal, 
has given journalists a dose of much-needed 
encouragement, even as they acknowledge continuing 
tight media controls.  The first article, published in 
the Party-run China Youth Daily, focused on problems 
television news magazines are having airing 
controversial content, particularly regarding official 
corruption and crime.  Sina's commentary complained 
about heavy censorship and the weakness of Chinese 
media's watchdog role.  The theme was then picked up 
by People's Daily and has been welcomed in 
commentaries on the People's Daily Internet news site 
and other web forums.  While the publication of such 
frank criticisms is noteworthy, the theme is one that 
the Party has pushed fairly consistently and the 
coverage dovetails well with current Party anti- 
corruption campaigns.  This coincidence may create 
some space for investigative news in the short term, 
but broadcasting remains China's most tightly 
controlled news medium and the system of Party 
controls on the media will not allow for a serious 
watchdog effect anytime soon.  End Summary. 
 
Let the Watchdog Out 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) The most recent poke at China's censors was 
inspired by a May 17 article in the Party-run China 
Youth Daily (CYD), which charged that more than half 
the telecasts produced by one of CCTV's regular news 
magazine programs, News Probe, have never aired. 
(Note:  Focus and News Probe are investigative news 
shows on CCTV-1, the Government's flagship channel. 
They are usually about 13 and 45 minutes long 
respectively and appear at various times throughout 
the week, often in the prime time slot directly 
following the nightly national news broadcast.) 
Criticism in the CYD article was directed at "morally 
bankrupt" local officials who try to cover up 
wrongdoing and dissuade media from investigating local 
issues.  Popular web portal Sina.com ran a commentary 
article the following day by Henan-based scholar and 
journalist Zhu Sibei, who used the China Youth Daily 
piece as a springboard to complain about heavy 
censorship and what he termed "the weakness of media's 
supervision of government." 
 
¶3.  (C) Without mentioning names or ranks, Zhu argued 
that jittery officials fearful of negative revelations 
are the main culprits in squelching the unseen shows. 
He decried the tendency of such officials to "block 
the information network" to protect their interests. 
He contended that authorities wrongly believe that 
scrutiny of the workings of government will harm 
social stability.  On the contrary, exposure of 
corruption and abuse of power will prompt better 
public service, he concluded, adding that public 
criticism is "safe, beneficial and indispensable" for 
society. 
 
Headlines and Redlines 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) The People's Daily Online news portal followed 
with a pair of articles on May 31 and June 2 that 
appeared to acknowledge the legitimacy of calls for an 
imprved media watchdog function and less local 
inerference.  The first piece recounted a visit to 
CCTV by Wu Guangzheng, the Politburo Standing 
Committee member in charge of discipline inspection. 
Wu stressed to CCTV news personnel the importance of 
media supervision in the fight against official 
corruption.  Contacts said they were especially 
surprised to see the Government mouthpiece People's 
Daily Online treat the issue again two days later in 
another opinion piece.  The piece characterized media 
scrutiny of officialdom as integral to "building a 
harmonious society," a favored current Party slogan. 
 
¶5. (C)  Calls for media oversight of Government 
conduct are not unusual, said Zhou Qing'an, (protect), 
a free lance journalist who writes regularly for the 
Beijing News.  Accusations of censorship and cover-up 
 
BEIJING 00012885  002 OF 002 
 
 
by local officials, however, are rarely raised by 
staid Party outlets and have raised eyebrows and hopes 
among some journalists and reformers.  Li Xiaoping, a 
producer at CCTV-9, speculated that the People's Daily 
online piece so strongly supported the media's 
watchdog role because the Central Government relies on 
investigative journalism to ratchet up pressure on 
local officials to clean up their acts, particularly 
on environment and corruption issues. 
 
 
¶6.  (C) In this context, Zhou described the Zhu Sibei 
piece as valuable and important, adding that any 
Chinese professional journalist who reads the article 
will be heartened by its persuasiveness and how close 
it gets to official redlines without crossing them. 
After more than a year of tight media controls, such a 
daring piece is welcome, he said.  Zhou judged that 
Zhu would not be criticized by censors in the 
Propaganda Department for his commentary.  Once a 
writer starts discussing specifics, such as names of 
officials or particular Government agencies, then he 
or she can suffer repercussions.  That is not the case 
here.  "Zhu never even mentions the Propaganda 
Department by name, but that is clearly his target," 
Zhou remarked.  He added that at the same time, there 
is no specific guidance about discussing broad themes, 
and the media's watchdog role as a public service is 
fair game. 
 
Tribal Interests 
---------------- 
 
¶7.  (C)  At CCTV, Focus and News Probe staff are 
discouraged by the constraints they face, said Li.  A 
former News Probe producer, Li said her friends still 
on staff there regularly tell her she is smart for 
transferring to the English service, about which 
Propaganda officials are less concerned.  Li stated 
that for the news magazine shows, the goal is to get 
on the air as quickly as possible, especially if a 
program has controversial content, in order to beat 
the censors.  Once the journalists start investigating 
a story, officials or business people whom the 
revelations might harm rally their connections with a 
view to pressuring censors to nix the show.  Those 
without good connections often must appeal straight to 
the Propaganda Department.  Zhou, the free lance 
journalist, said the hotel near the Propaganda 
Department office is constantly booked full of people 
from the Provinces who want to make sure certain 
sensitive stories never see print or airwaves. 
 
¶8.  (C) One of Li's News Probe shows was squelched a 
few years ago, she related.  She and her staff put 
together a special about a cigarette factory in 
northeastern China that was so strapped for cash that 
it paid its workers partly in packs of cigarettes. 
News Probe aired a first segment and then prepared to 
go to the plant for a follow-up a few weeks later. 
When the production team got to the airport to depart, 
however, the head of CCTV news told them to turn 
around and come back to the office.  Li surmised that 
someone with influence had called a Government bigwig 
to get the journalists to stand down.  In that sense, 
the Zhu article is also about what Li called "tribal 
interests."  That is, local cadres or entrepreneurs 
using their relationships with top brass in Beijing to 
press for protection from media exposure.  "This 
happens all the time," Li said. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9.  (C) While the Government's rhetorical endorsement 
of a role for the press in fighting corruption may 
create some protection space for some investigative 
journalism, the recent commentary and calls for a more 
effective watchdog function will likely go only as far 
as the Party deems helpful to its cause.  Pursue the 
wrong story or "go too far" and the rug can easily be 
pulled out from under any author or outlet.  The one- 
year prison sentence for "extortion" recently meted 
out to Hunan investigative journalist Yang Xiaoqing 
illustrates the risks reporters continue to face as 
they investigate official misconduct. 
RANDT