Learning for Better English Good Essay Introduction The Journalism Tradition By Ying Chan On May 12, 2008,

, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan Province in southwest China, claiming at least 69,000 lives. In the ensuing week, Chinese reporters roamed the ruins of the devastated town to interview traumatised parents, villagers, and rescue workers, sending the public gripping imagers and stories of destruction, death, and heroism. For a few short weeks, the Chinese Communist Party eased its controls on the media, allowing journalists, both Chinese and foreign, to do the kind of fact-finding and reporting the tragedy demanded. For the first time in the history of the Peoples Republic of China, the destructive power f a disaster was broadcast live on the television screens of the homes of millions of citizens across the country. And the first time in the history of the Republic, Chinese journalists were allowed to compete against each other and with international media on a relatively equal footing. It was a cathartic experience for the reporters, many of whom were covering a disaster of such a magnitude for the first time in their careers. The response to the disaster surprised and impressed the international community. The New York Times called the Sichuan events as the Chinese Glasnost. Others in the international media noted the extraordinary performance of their Chinese counterparts, whose reporting was cited worldwide. For weeks, networks such as BBC and CNN used extensive footage from Chinese television stations, whose logos were displayed prominently on screens around the world. It was an unprecedented feat for the Chinese media. Most pundits credited the party with allowing journalists, even for a brief period, to do their job with relatively fewer restrictions. But the earthquake coverage did not happen solely because of the sudden kindness of the party. The poignant reporting and the images on television and in print also represented an eruption of the suppressed of Chinese journalists, who had long aspired for an opportunity to practice real journalism. The tragedy in Sichuan was an opportunity to report and to write the news precisely as it was. Myths and oversimplifications about Chinas new media abound. Many in the international community are under the impression that the party gags, intimidates, and censors Chinese journalists under its authoritarian rule, or, sometimes even throw them into the jail. At the very least, many regard Chinese journalists as mere tools of

the party, bound to propaganda. The reality is much more nuanced and complicated. Control is only one part of the Chinese medias story. The other part is the momentous economic changes taking place in China over the past thirty years that have opened a space for the practice of good journalism. Since 1978, when China adopted the reform and openness policy, a generation of Chinese journalists has come of age in spite of the harassment, the firings, and the jailings. By highlighting eight investigative stories that are of modern-classic status in China, this book is a tribute to the Chinese men and women who have kept their faith in the art of truth-telling and investigative reporting intact in spite of great personal sacrifices and hardships. Contrary to the stereotypes abroad, Chinese journalists are pushing the envelope to uncover wrongs, sharing the same sense of mission as their counterparts elsewhere in the world. But they work in a challenging, even hostile, environment. The Chinese Communist Party continues to maintain strict controls on its news media through legal, administrative, and extralegal means. All newspaper and magazines are property of the state, whose officials at the central or the provincial levels can, and have, fired offending editors or reporters at will. They also have the authority to shut down publications without cause3. Through a licensing system of reporters, the party-state regulates journalists credentials, which amounts to rationing the freedom of expression to the selected. The idea of an independent media is anathema to the party, since it would pose a direct challenge to its authority. The best Chinese journalists, exemplified by those whose work this book profiles, are survivors who have mastered the high art of navigating the Chinese media control system. They have pushed their luck, on paths fraught with setbacks and disappointments. This book is about them, their hopes and desires in the ever-evolving, brave new world of Chinese journalism. In telling their stories, this book also explores the limitations and fragile state of Chinese journalism today.