How Chinese Journalism Students View Domestic and Foreign Media: A Survey on Credibility, Censorship, and the Role of the Communist Party in Media

Authors

Joseph Weber, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow
Linjun Fan, Shantou University

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2016

Citation

Human Rights Quarterly 38 (2016) 194–207

Comments

© 2016 by Johns Hopkins University Press. Used by permission.

Abstract

According to a survey conducted in the fall of 2013, most students in a cross section of Chinese journalism schools call for less censorship, put more faith in Western media than in domestic Chinese media, and do not believe journalists should join the Communist Party. The thirty-nine question survey, conducted anonymously with the help of journalism teachers at eight universities in China, comes at a time when press freedoms are being curtailed on the mainland and in Hong Kong and even as journalists resist the curbs. The results suggest that Chinese leaders may face rising pressure over time to ease their media controls.