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Q: No news in China?
We live in a country with over a billion people, yet the majority of the time there seems to be no news in China. Sure the world is focused on ISIS, and America has shooting of the week, and the presidential elections in 2016, but it seems there is no real news in China lately. In fact it seems the Bo Xi Lai affair was the last big story...
...so what gives? Massive media blackout, or apathy? What are Chinese people talking about these days?
Chinese people’s ability to rationalise the conditions they live in, and to understand cause and effect is next to zero. For the CCP it is vital that Chinese people do not form an awareness of their own situation (in which all phenomena are linked).
It would be very hard to frame extreme poverty, child rape and public defecation in a pro-Communist light. CCTV news only reports things that comply with the Communist Party’s simplistic narrative. News has to fit into clear categories:
1. China’s economic growth and importance to the global economy
The Chinese Yuan is gaining weight as an international currency; America is an evil currency manipulator; etc.
2. China’s success at international diplomacy and importance in world affairs
Xi Jinpig’s visit to Europe (not including Peng Liyuan’s skin whitener disaster); How much British people love China; China “helping” African nations develop (by sending heavy machinery to steal all their minerals); etc.
3. Chinese military expansion
China’s ever-growing military “defending” China’s “rights” and “sovereignty” (in other countries’ territory). This is horrifying for me to watch, so I can only imagine how exciting it must be for adolescent (20-50-year-old) Chinese males.
4. Reasons to be wary of foreign people and Foreignland
Foreigners behaving badly (Get those motherf***ers out of China); conflicts between China and other countries (how dare Foreignland impede China’s goals); America’s weekly school shootings (to be fair, Americans, your gun laws really are retarded); etc.
5. Terrorism
In 2001, there was a complete media blackout in China of the 9-11 attacks. Traditionally terrorism has been considered way too complex and divisive a topic for Chinese people to be exposed to. But now terrorism stories bolster the CCP’s anti-Xinjiang narrative, so terrorism is getting a lot of exposure.
6. Xi Jinpig's anti-corruption campaign
Bringing dirty and utterly loaded Chinese officials back from overseas. Strangely, China doesn't want its millions of non-wealthy illegal immigrants back.
7. Fluff pieces
A local farmer is happy about his potatoes, and here he is eating some dumplings and being happy. Xi Jinpig loves the people and we can prove it because he ate a baozi. Members of the Chinese public being interviewed about what they think of their society (obviously their response won't be broadcast if it accurately identifies anything).
Together these story types form a clear narrative: Chinese people are generally happy with their society. Things are gradually getting better. While foreign countries cause problems, China strongly defends its rights, and becomes more assertive and more respected in the world.
Thousands of things happen in China every day that would be shocking by Western standards. A case of child abduction in Australia makes news headlines for weeks or months. If a group of senior school officials took 6 primary school girls to a hotel and raped them in Australia it would leave Australians dumfounded, and may change the course of Australian history. In China: Nothing.
In other countries people see a complex mesh of issues on TV and are expected to form an awareness of how all those things fit together. Chinese people are dictated a simplistic fairy tale about China’s place in the world, which reinforces the stupid illusion they live in.
sorrel:
the explosions in Tianjin were quietly buried after the initial coverage that was disseminated by non-Chineses.
No word on investigations or prosecutions.........
Samsara:
The video of the press conference was hilarious. A few government members made vague statements that totally avoided acknowledging what just happened.
Then a reporter asked "Was the factory too close to residential areas?" The media crowd went crazy and suddenly all the government members were gone.
Conference over.
Lord_hanson:
There were explosions for 2 weeks before they finally put it out. There are still soliders guarding the areas and the news didn't mention the looters.
I read yesterday on Independent, they found new tomb in Henan from ---wait: 638BC to 525BC with horses and things inside.
That was repost from People's Daily, and the whole math gives some '2500 years ago'.
Luoyang, which is.....I think,
..... I can almost see tomb from my window with some good binocs in hand
.... Henan always had some ancient flare .....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/ancient-chinese-tomb-dating...
Civil society is braindead, what news do you expect. Up to 2012 there were still a few investigation journalists doing real legwork, now it's all been harmonized and they've either been fired, intimidated or simply disappeared.
There's still fun to be had when there's a screwup and officials need to find excuses. Other than that just skip to the comments for some quick lulz if you understand Chinese or just forget about it and make it a worthy lesson for what you don't want to happen home.
There is this, but this is probably blacked out too.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-35024043
What kind of news are you looking for
- China doctoring its CO2 emission numbers
- China grabbing control of Hong Kong media pushing them to self-censor
- Miss Canada's dad who is still living in China getting a visit from the secret police asking him to make his daughter shut up
- The economy slowing down
- Something about pandas doing panda stuff
Chinese people’s ability to rationalise the conditions they live in, and to understand cause and effect is next to zero. For the CCP it is vital that Chinese people do not form an awareness of their own situation (in which all phenomena are linked).
It would be very hard to frame extreme poverty, child rape and public defecation in a pro-Communist light. CCTV news only reports things that comply with the Communist Party’s simplistic narrative. News has to fit into clear categories:
1. China’s economic growth and importance to the global economy
The Chinese Yuan is gaining weight as an international currency; America is an evil currency manipulator; etc.
2. China’s success at international diplomacy and importance in world affairs
Xi Jinpig’s visit to Europe (not including Peng Liyuan’s skin whitener disaster); How much British people love China; China “helping” African nations develop (by sending heavy machinery to steal all their minerals); etc.
3. Chinese military expansion
China’s ever-growing military “defending” China’s “rights” and “sovereignty” (in other countries’ territory). This is horrifying for me to watch, so I can only imagine how exciting it must be for adolescent (20-50-year-old) Chinese males.
4. Reasons to be wary of foreign people and Foreignland
Foreigners behaving badly (Get those motherf***ers out of China); conflicts between China and other countries (how dare Foreignland impede China’s goals); America’s weekly school shootings (to be fair, Americans, your gun laws really are retarded); etc.
5. Terrorism
In 2001, there was a complete media blackout in China of the 9-11 attacks. Traditionally terrorism has been considered way too complex and divisive a topic for Chinese people to be exposed to. But now terrorism stories bolster the CCP’s anti-Xinjiang narrative, so terrorism is getting a lot of exposure.
6. Xi Jinpig's anti-corruption campaign
Bringing dirty and utterly loaded Chinese officials back from overseas. Strangely, China doesn't want its millions of non-wealthy illegal immigrants back.
7. Fluff pieces
A local farmer is happy about his potatoes, and here he is eating some dumplings and being happy. Xi Jinpig loves the people and we can prove it because he ate a baozi. Members of the Chinese public being interviewed about what they think of their society (obviously their response won't be broadcast if it accurately identifies anything).
Together these story types form a clear narrative: Chinese people are generally happy with their society. Things are gradually getting better. While foreign countries cause problems, China strongly defends its rights, and becomes more assertive and more respected in the world.
Thousands of things happen in China every day that would be shocking by Western standards. A case of child abduction in Australia makes news headlines for weeks or months. If a group of senior school officials took 6 primary school girls to a hotel and raped them in Australia it would leave Australians dumfounded, and may change the course of Australian history. In China: Nothing.
In other countries people see a complex mesh of issues on TV and are expected to form an awareness of how all those things fit together. Chinese people are dictated a simplistic fairy tale about China’s place in the world, which reinforces the stupid illusion they live in.
sorrel:
the explosions in Tianjin were quietly buried after the initial coverage that was disseminated by non-Chineses.
No word on investigations or prosecutions.........
Samsara:
The video of the press conference was hilarious. A few government members made vague statements that totally avoided acknowledging what just happened.
Then a reporter asked "Was the factory too close to residential areas?" The media crowd went crazy and suddenly all the government members were gone.
Conference over.
Lord_hanson:
There were explosions for 2 weeks before they finally put it out. There are still soliders guarding the areas and the news didn't mention the looters.
Social media is the place to find real news . There are tons of videos of muggings , assaults (husband against wives usually like the one my wife showed me about a guy cutting up his wife badly especially her hands she survived) and accidents .
Canadaboy22:
It's better than any mainstream news, but I don't think muggings and assualt's really count as news. ^^
Here's some news for ya - ok it's not real news but I actually laughed out loud watching this idiot having a temper tantrum on a plane. It's just such a ridiculous, childish thing to do and supposedly the guy is (soon to be was maybe ) a university professor.
http://shanghaiist.com/2015/12/07/shanghai_new_york_plane_ruckus.php
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/china-tycoon-linked-bo-xilai-dies-jail-medi...
Key witness against China's Bo Xilai dies in jail: media
Yahoo-gle lists news under 'Sports' column
Lord_hanson:
I read that today too. No one really knows why he was in prison anyway except that he was a naughty boy.
icnif77:
I don't know much about Chinese law, but he testified/admitted he gave monnies to Bo, so he is/was complicit in graft.
A car carrying explosives being driven by a terrorist wearing a vest drove into the police station around the corner from me and only succeeded in lighting a fire and getting three people shot dead. No official confirmation. But we all know.
As usual, mum's the word. Now just waiting for the knock on the door. Or more likely I'll just be blocked again.
Most Chinese I know only talk about making enough money to get the hell out of China.
I know OP was implying on news reporting in China, and I'm keep posting news about China:
Red alert ('all dead') in BJ:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/beijing-smog-red-alert-issu...
Beijing smog 'red alert' issued: Schools and businesses to completely shut down as Chinese capital issues first ever extreme warning
The city had already been in a state of orange alert, which meant some construction and industry was being curbed. The city had also issued a ruling that said cars with odd and even number plates would be stopped from driving on alternate days.
In some parts of Beijing, people can only see around 200m. The air is also packed with poisonous particles that mean that people could become ill simply from being outside.
Air pollution monitors showed areas of Beijing had more than 256 micrograms per cubic metre of the poisonous particles. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says anything over 25 micrograms is considered unsafe.
