[Swprograms] Re: Why is BBC World Service reducing its short wave provision?

[John Figliozzi <jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mike

For one thing, I don't think that CRI and the Chinese Communist Party 
are one and the same.

This starts to veer into a geopolitical discussion, but I would observe 
that the same views that you expressed here were once widely held of 
other one-party states.  As much as these states appear to be 
monolithic, there are very real fault lines and fissures in their 
seemingly brick like authority.  The situation in China is very complex 
and multi-layered.  The economic liberalization there and the rise of 
an extremely viable (economically) and demanding (politically) middle 
class is working changes to that country that are real and lasting.  
Yes, those in power are seeking and using all the means at their 
disposal to stay there.  Some of that is due to fear of what happens if 
central authority pulls back too far or collapses entirely.  But forces 
like the ones being unleashed in China cannot ultimately be contained.  
Change is coming and--if you listen astutely as we used to during the 
Cold War--you can hear it happening, even on CRI.  If the Chinese 
leadership is astute, it will change with it.  Whether it is or not, 
we'll have to wait and see.

John

Sunday, March 20, 2005, at 07:59  PM, Mike Barraclough wrote:

>
>> John Figliozzi <jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote
>
>> Certainly, I don't think that CRI's commitment to public
>> service broadcasting principles with respect to the way it reports the
>> news is at or near the BBC's level at this point.  But if one looks at
>> where CRI and its predecessors were just a short time ago and where 
>> CRI
>> is now, there is a qualitative and quantitative improvement. While I
>> agree that CRI falls woefully short on reporting on problems within 
>> the
>> country, I've observed that there are an increasing number of reports
>> and features on CRI that do point out problems like pollution, poverty
>> and joblessness in the cities, disagreements among domestic experts,
>> and unrest among some social groups and classes. I think that this can
>> be said to a trend, but we can disagree on that.
>
> It is a trend however, in my view, CRI reports this to an international
> audience as it knows that we are aware of them through our free media 
> but,
> if you listen to their features carefully, they always come to the
> conclusion that the Chinese Communist Party system will solve all these
> problems. It's a classic propaganda technique. I would contend that the
> system is the major cause of the problems.
>
> The Communist Party internal media sources don't cover them in the 
> same way
> CRI does. There is some mention in Communist Party Congress statements
> because they are worried about the internal unrest. There is a growing
> independent media within China, which is operating without Communist 
> Party
> subsidies, and it is criticising particularly the actions of local
> officials, but these journalists are still severely restricted by the 
> nature
> of the Chinese State Constitution. If they cross the line they get 
> arrested.
>
>> OTOH, CRI seems to believe that any segment of the target population
>> has the capacity to either be or become an "opinion former".  So its
>> approach is to use all the distribution methods at its service.  CRI's
>> hours on shortwave to NA and everywhere else is up, as is its 
>> internet,
>> satellite and local placement efforts.
>
> For "CRI seems to believe" substitute "the Chinese Communist Party 
> seems to
> believe", CRI's global propaganda mission is contained in their Party
> Congress reports. They have more problems politically getting 24 hour 
> FM
> relays in overseas cities so they are making best use of the 
> distribution
> methods they have at their disposal.
>
> Mike
>
>
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