Modern demands gradually make reporting in China more bold despite censorship
Censorship remains tight, and media outlets must be cautious, but consumers demand bolder revelations
For seasoned China watchers, the importance of news is often not in the literal content of an announcement but in the conditions surrounding it.
For instance, a state-media report on Wednesday that Liu Yunshan, who is fifth in the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee and head of the Secretariat, met a number of scientists, engineers, and other top thinkers was on the face of it hardly worthy of mention. Its significance only emerges when readers consider that the meeting occurred in the seaside resort of Beidaihe, the site of the annual conclave of party elders and elite that inspires much speculation about Chinese politics.
Liu was accompanied by two other members of the decision-making Politburo - Vice-Premier Ma Kai and party organisation chief Zhao Leji, according China Central Television (CCTV) footage. The meeting appeared to be of a routine nature, but it in effect confirmed that the country's top leaders had begun their secretive summer policy conference.
Further confirmation came in another news report on Friday. It said China's first lady, Peng Liyuan, attended the opening ceremony of a summer camp for Aids orphans in the resort town. Again, hardly dramatic news, but it did serve as indirect verification that state leaders were gathering at the northern resort.
The annual Beidaihe meeting, or "the summer summit" as it is known to China watchers, is where present leaders and retired elders meet in an informal setting for closed-door discussions that will set the tone for major domestic issues.
Under China's system of strict censorship, only a few state-run media outlets, such as CCTV and Xinhua News Agency, are granted access to report on state leaders' activities.
But even they do not carry reports about the Beidaihe meeting, making the goings-on there as mysterious as those within the walls of Zhongnanhai.
But in recent years, some commercial media outlets have tried to test the waters by producing speculative reports on the traditionally sensitive political gathering.
, a commercial daily jointly owned by several state media outlets, offered a news-analysis piece on Wednesday quoting "sources" as saying that leaders were gathering at Beidaihe to work out major policy directions.
The muted report took on sensational overtones because it came at a politically sensitive time. It coincided with President and Communist Party chief Xi Jinping's announcement of a corruption investigation into former security tsar Zhou Yongkang and the expulsion and court-martial of Xu Caihou , the former vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Zhou and Xu are the most senior political and military leaders respectively to be charged with corruption in the history of Communist rule.
On top of that, Xi has admitted the anti-graft war is at a "stalemate between two forces", and that he will risk his life and reputation for the fight.
was taking a big risk with such a bold move but its decision reflects the complexities and contradictions in the mainland media landscape. Censors continue to keep a firm grip on the media but news outlets also face unprecedented challenges in today's more consumer-oriented media environment.
Competition for readers and advertising revenue is fierce, and consumer preferences are now the driving force behind many editorial decisions, including the one. Such market forces will help break the party's strict censorship, but media executives and journalists still need to be aware that they could fall foul of censors.
In the meantime, the example of the report offers more insight into the changing media environment under Xi's leadership. China watchers should take note.
