BETWEEN THE PARTY LINE AWD THE BOTTOM LINE: REFORM, COl'MMERCIALIZATION, AND DEMOCRATIC PROSPECTS FOR NEWS MEDIA IN CHINA Ytazhi Zhao M. A., Simon Fraser University, 1989 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Communication Yuezhi Zhao 1995 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY November 1995 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. 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It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of Thesis/Project/Extended Essay BETWEEN THE PARTY LINE AND THE BOTTOM LINE: REFORM. COMMERCIALIZATION. AND DEMOCRATIC PROSPECTS FOR NEWS MEDIA IN CHINA - Author: N- (Signatdre) (name) (date) APPROVAL NAME Yuezhi Zhao DEGREE PhD TTIZE BETWEEN THE PARTY LINE AND THE BOTTOM LINE: REFORM, COMMERCIALIZATION, AND DEMOCRATIC PROSPECTS FOR NEWS MEDIA IN CHINA EXAMINING COMMITTEE: Chair Roger Howard - w Robert Hackett * Co-Senior Supervisor, Sc- of Communicati nn . CFT J Pat Howard Co-Senior Supervisor, School of Communication. SFU - ~ichardGruneau Supervisor, School of Communication, SFU Walls ervisor, School of Communication, SFU - Brian S. Lewis a Internal Examiner School of Communkation, SFU Gerald B. Sperddg External Examiner, Head of Department of University of Regina Abstract This dissertation examines the intertwining of political control and market forces in China's news media. The analytical framewcrk draws on Western critical media scholarship that argues for media democratization beyond the liberal model of press freedom through the market. The research included extensive documentary research both inside and outside China; interviews with Chinese media scholars, administrators, and journalists; case studies of print and broadcast media instiPziioix and practices; as well as analysis of media contents. Economic reforms and an open door policy introduced the market logic into China's Party-controlled news media system and led to the emergence of discourse on media democratization in the mid-1980s, which threatened to challenge the Party's monopolistic control of the news media. While the crackdown on the democracy movement in 1989 suppressed democratic discourse and reimposed tight political control, market forces gained momentum especially after the Party's unreserved embrace of a market economy in 1992. These developments produced the current intermingling of Party logic and market logic in the news media. Market forces have undermined the Party's traditional methods of ideological control, created some openings for relative autonomy in some areas, and led to the emergence of a commercial sector within the media system. The oppositional potentials of the market, however, have largely been contained by tight political control. Rather than substantially altering the dominant mode of political communication, market forces have contributed to a shift in the Party's ideological work from crude political indoctrination to more subtle forms of ideological domination. Moreover, market forces themselves contain significant anti-democratic tendencies, which have been amplified in forms of media commercialization with special Chinese characteristics, iii The study concludes that the current fusion of political control and commercialism in the Chinese news media is undemocratic; the triumph of market forces alone cannot lead to a democratic system of media communication in China. The dissertation explores alternative possibilities and proposes a multi-sector, multi-tiered, pluralistic news media system organized around different principles and logics. Dedication .6 For my father Zhao Kuqi, my mother Qin Yujiao, my husband Qian Jidnxing, and my daughter Linda Acknowledgments Numerous individuals, both in Canada and in China, have contributed to the compktion of this dissertation. A profound debt of gratitude is owed, first and foremost, to my two co-senior supervisors, Bob Hackett and Pat Howard. They read all my drafts. Bob provided invaluable suggestions on the overall structure and arguments of the thesis. Pat offered many insights and made painstaking efforts to clarify my thoughts, tighten up my sentences, and correct my grammar. Their generosity, their enthusiasm, and their sustained attention over many years far surpass my ability to thank them adequately. Their dedication to the task and their friendship to me are priceless outcomes of this work. I am also very grateful to Roger Howard and Ika Hackett for their their friendship and support throughout the years. In addition, I would like to thank my supervisory and examining committee members Rick Gruneau, Jan Walls, Brian Lewis and Gerry Sperling for their careful reading and provocative questions during the defense. My friends and fellow students at SFU helped me in ways ana moments that only friends can. Marie Carnbon and Wu Xue provided me with useful material during my research. Wu Xue also helped me with Chinese pinyin in the bibliography. Lori Walker offered her generous emotional support at a critical moment in the writing of the thesis. Carolyn Liu helped me with formatting the thesis. I thank them all. I would also like to thank my colleague Sun Wanning from Australia for her comments and suggestions on an early draft of the thesis. In addition, Wolfgang Richter at SFU Computing Services deserves a special thanks for technical assistance in printing out this dissertation. This research would not have been possi'ole without the help of many individuals in China. I am very grateful to them for their friendship, their enthusiasm for my research, their willingness to be interviewed, and their generosity in providing invaluable material and sharing their insights with me. For reasons of confidentiality I cannot name them here, but I hope that my work is at least a partial repayment for my indebtedness. I am also deeply indebted to my family, both in China snd here in Canada. I am very grateful to my parents and my sister Yuehua and brother Weiyong for taking care of my daughter Linda over the past year so that I could concentrate on research and writing. I would also like to thank my sister Weichun for helping me to record television programs during my fieldwerk, Finally, I woukl like to thank my husband Qian Jianxing for his support and patience. I owe him much for the sacrifice he and our daughter Linda made over the past few years. Table of Contents .. Approval .................................................................................................................... 11 ... Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 111 Dedication .................................................................................................................. v Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... vi 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Content versus Structural Analysis .................................................................. 2 After the Mass Propaganda Model, What? ...................................................... 7 The Liberal Press Model as a Normative Standard? ........................................ 15 The Present Project ......................................................................................... 24 A Methodological Note ................................................................................... 27 2 . Party Journalism in China: Theory and Practice ....................................................