1
China and Singapore

• Asian Press Values
• Vs.
• Access to Information as Basic Human Right

2
China and Singapore

• Two very different countries 1. 3 billion vs. 3
  million
• Global economic powerhouse vs. small financial
  island state
• 5,000 years of history versus colonization then
  statehood under Lee Kwan Yew

3
But the same view of the press

• A free press is a threat to their control
• Press is to used as a tool of the governmentnot
  as a tool of the people
• Control of ideas versus the marketplace of ideas
• Chinas ranking in Reporters without Borders 163
• Singapores ranking in Reporters without Borders
  140

4
No historical precedent for a free press in
China

• Chinas constitution affords its people rights
  to free speech and press
• But those are trumped by defending security,
  honor and the interests of the motherland
• Media law is vague. It is easy to claim that
  journalists are divulging state secrets.

5
In Singapore, theres no gloss of a free press.

• Singaporean press is state controlledSingapore
  Press Holdings
• Media is considered a way to disseminate
  information to the peopleentertainand make
  money
• International media is controlled through fees,
  licensing and the lawwhich favors the government

6
Chinas Tactics for Press Control
7
A Brief history

• China has no historical precedent for a free
  press.
• Emperors via the mandarin classes controlled
  information. Peasants didnt need to know
  anything
• Communists take power in 1949press seen as a
  tool of the state and more importantthe Party
• Major press organizations fall under the control
  of the Partynot the government. Xinhua News
  Agency, CCTV, Peoples Daily newspaper.
• During the Cultural Revolution, every newspaper
  in the country copied the Peoples Daily
  verbatim.

8
Why it works

• No cultural precedent for a free pressa press
  that questions the governmentso there is no call
  for a free press from the peopleuntil now.
• Journalists who work for the Propaganda
  Department dont perceive this control as wrong.
• Being the mouthpiece of government is an
  honorable position.
• The idea that a free press leads to better
  governmentwell, the Chinese think the opposite
  A controlled press leads to stronger government

9
And works

• Propaganda Department tightly controls what the
  media can say and say on important issues such as
  Tibet, Taiwan, state security even in an Internet
  age.
• The 17th National Peoples Congress (2006)
  announced that the press is to exult socialism
  not exaggerate the weaponry of China avert the
  trend of exposing judicial injustice in the name
  of upholding human rights do not promote Western
  ideology.
• But do write about social stability

10
thought work

• Journalists are trained to be mouthpieces
• 50 hours of instruction in Marxism
• Evaluated for loyalty to party
• Journalists and editors censor themselvescontrol
  happens from the inside, not the outside.
• If a story appears to harm the Partydont write
  it
• Libel laws favor the plaintiff.
• You must receive permissions to write about party
  leaders

11
But what now

• The opening of Chinese society30 years ago
  opened to business and economic expansion
• The Internetseen as a tool for businessnot as a
  way to expand press freedoms or freedom of speech
• Cellphonesagain a tool for businessbut
  increasingly the way in which Chinese keep in
  touch with each othermay be harder to control
  than the Internet
• The Olympicsanother Tiananmen.
• Taiwan and Tibetholding the country together

12
Control today

• Imprisonment32 journalists in prisonnot
  counting regular citizens jailed for expressing
  discontentor bloggers
• Impose news blackouts
• Pass new laws The Emergency Response LawSARS
  first reported by journalists not the
  governmentled to this lawthe government decides
  what an emergency islike saying the U.S. govt
  has tell us if Katrina was a disaster

13
Pretense of openness

• Olympics brought new rules for international
  journalists
• Travel freely through the country
• Talk to anyone
• Butthen Tibet happens

14
Pretense of openness

• Domestic journalists were still controlledwhy?
• Journalists must get permission to write on
  sensitive cultural events
• Banned from broadcasting news on 20 issues such
  as judicial corruption and campaigns to protect
  human rights
• New penalty points system lose all your points
  and your publication is shut down
• More Internet rulesclosing down sites that
  provide news broadcasts from the Internet.
• Crackdown on fake newsthe pork bun
  controversy

15
The international community wakes up
16
But big business plays ball

• Yahoo admits to providing Chinese authorities
  with information that leads to the imprisonment
  of Shi Tao
• His crime sending an email that included
  information about the response of the government
  to Tiananmen

17
U.S. govt steps in

• Chinese govt accuses him of illegally providing
  state secrets to foreign entities.
• Yahoo claims it didnt know what the authorities
  would do with information
• U.S. Congress saysyou operate your business here
  in the U.S. therefore you abide by our laws
• House approved legislation that makes it a crime
  to aid countries in limiting Internet access to
  restrict human rights

18
Cyber-censoring Chinese style

• Tens of thousands of cyber-censors and cyber
  police.
• Training for self-censorship
• Keyword search shuts down sites within minutes of
  locating a word that is not approved
• Employees of 19 of Beijings leading websites
  meet every Friday to discuss, criticize sites.
  Bureau announces what subjects may be coveredand
  those that will cause articles or sites to be
  shutdown or eliminated