Chinese tabloid
Encyclopedia
Chinese tabloid refers to a newspaper
format that became extremely popular in the People's Republic of China
in the mid-1990s. Like tabloids
in the rest of the world, they focus on sensationalism and scandal, but in the context of media in China this has the effect of challenging government limits on press censorship.
The rise of the tabloid format is associated with withdrawal of governmental subsidies to newspapers in the late 1980s. Faced with the possibility of bankruptcy, many newspapers changed their formats to emphasize investigative reporting and bold editorial policies. Ironically, many of these newspapers are owned by units of the Communist Party of China
; however this ownership has the odd effect of giving the newspapers the political cover to take a more critical line against the government.
Chinese tabloids have been crucial in breaking some of the major stories on social crises facing mainland China
including the AIDS
epidemic in Henan
, the dangers of coal mining
, and the corruption
inherent in the system of custody and repatriation
. In recent years, Chinese tabloids have begun to have a growing influence on Chinese public policy.
The government will occasionally crack down in the tabloids by closing them and changing their staff, but the commercial pressures on the tabloids to gather readers and the fact that many enjoy considerable political protection makes the effectiveness of these actions limited.
The conflicting nature of policies of the PRC toward tabloids can been illustrated the actions of the State Council of China on June 2003. Responding to public pressure, it abolished custody and repatriation and adopted new regulations on coal mining
. At the same time, it issued orders shutting down a number of Chinese tabloids.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
format that became extremely popular in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in the mid-1990s. Like tabloids
Tabloid journalism
Tabloid journalism tends to emphasize topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news...
in the rest of the world, they focus on sensationalism and scandal, but in the context of media in China this has the effect of challenging government limits on press censorship.
The rise of the tabloid format is associated with withdrawal of governmental subsidies to newspapers in the late 1980s. Faced with the possibility of bankruptcy, many newspapers changed their formats to emphasize investigative reporting and bold editorial policies. Ironically, many of these newspapers are owned by units of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
; however this ownership has the odd effect of giving the newspapers the political cover to take a more critical line against the government.
Chinese tabloids have been crucial in breaking some of the major stories on social crises facing mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
including the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
epidemic in Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
, the dangers of coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, and the corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
inherent in the system of custody and repatriation
Custody and repatriation
Custody and repatriation was an administrative procedure, established in 1982 and ended in 2003, by which the police in the People's Republic of China could detain people if they did not have a residence permit or temporary living permit , and return them to the place where they could legally...
. In recent years, Chinese tabloids have begun to have a growing influence on Chinese public policy.
The government will occasionally crack down in the tabloids by closing them and changing their staff, but the commercial pressures on the tabloids to gather readers and the fact that many enjoy considerable political protection makes the effectiveness of these actions limited.
The conflicting nature of policies of the PRC toward tabloids can been illustrated the actions of the State Council of China on June 2003. Responding to public pressure, it abolished custody and repatriation and adopted new regulations on coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
. At the same time, it issued orders shutting down a number of Chinese tabloids.
See also
- Newspapers of the People's Republic of China
- Media in China