More than 2000 TV channels and countless publications have seen the daylight in China since the economic revolution in the country. Photo: Ann-Nina Finne/IMS.

IMS launches its first activities in China to advance professional investigative reporting and environmental reporting. The first activities aim to lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Conference at the end of this year

Following thorough assessments and analyses during 2008, IMS is now ready to launch its program for collaboration with media in China. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to enhancing professionalism within investigative reporting and environmental journalism and to broker grater knowledge of the ways of the Chinese media in Europe and of Western media practices in China through collaboration between Chinese and European media professionals.

China media revolution

Following the dramatic economic reform process in China, media in China have undergone enormous changes and growth. There are more than 2000 television channels in China today, and a multitude of print media, newspapers, magazines and informative internet-sites.

The Chinese mass media are still state-owned, but are now subject to market forces operating as commercial enterprises. Competition for advertising is fierce and some media sell shares at the stock exchange.

Censorship is still tight, but its mode of operation is complex. While some topics are hardly ever dealt with critically in the media - the Party leadership, key government policies and defence matters for instance - other potentially controversial matters are dealt with openly: Pollution, corruption, land-issues at local level may often be dealt with in the media in vigorous ways. If not by local media too close for comfort for the local authorities, then by media in neighbouring states or by the national media. Due to this any attempt to describe Chinese censorship in simple ways will miss the real picture.

IMS aims to contribute to promoting professional investigative reporting and environmental reporting in China along the lines that IMS has successfully advanced investigative reporting in a number of other countries - noticeable in Eastern Europe and in the Arab World.

A well-known concept

Investigative reporting is a well-known concept in China, even if many journalists may perceive and practice investigative journalism differently from the ways of journalists in Europe or the United States. Investigative journalism thrives in pockets of Chinese print media in many different formats and shapes. Chinese television, noticeably CCTV, have launched several investigative formats attracting huge audiences. The Chinese authorities have long advocated a supervisory role for the media, urging journalists to exercise supervision of local officials in order to promote adherence to the policies adopted by central government.

Many media, noticeably but not exclusively in the southern province of Guangdong, have experienced commercial success with more aggressive, investigative journalism. 

Chinese investigative journalists face obstacles specific to China, as well as obstacles also well known elsewhere. They are under obvious political constraints particular to China, but also to ordinary financial constraints. Investigative journalism in China is as time-consuming and costly as anywhere else.

Access to information is of particularly concern to the Chinese media. Neither the state apparatus nor the party structures have any tradition for systematic sharing of information with the public. The Open Government Information Regulations that went into effect on May 1 2008, was an important step forward in this regard. Even if it is not specifically designed to meet the needs of the media, it is widely recognized as a potential improvement for both ordinary citizens and journalists.

In collaboration with Peking University and the China Media Centre at University of Westminster, UK, IMS will establish a support structure for investigative reporting in the province of Henan, providing educational inputs as well as other forms of support designed to meet the specific needs of the journalists involved. At the same time IMS pursues collaboration with the experienced journalism fraternity of key, Guangdong based media.

Environmental reporting

Environmental reporting and reporting on climate change is attracting more attention in China than ever before. The Chinese authorities and the Chinese public increasingly encourage environmental reporting. This has provided the Chinese media with a unique position as an accepted societal actor with a recognized mandate to bring to urgent and immediate attention climate change and environmental problems in China.

The Chinese media is striving to live up to this challenge with much enthusiasm. Environmental reports flourish in print, electronic and on-line media. Also, some efforts have been made to train Chinese journalists in environmental reporting.

Much still needs to be done. During a recent UN climate summit, the COP14 in Poland, for instance, only two Chinese journalists attended - both on grants from foreign NGOs.

Access to the most current scientific information is still difficult in China. Many journalists still need to learn how to access relevant Chinese and international data-bases - to the extent that they are open to the media. Few Chinese environmental reporters engage in international net-working, which may assist them in covering the global aspects of environmental issues. This is of course of particular importance on the issue of climate change. Finally, professional training in environmental reporting in China (like in many other countries) is still young. Many Chinese media training institutions have yet to main-stream environmental reporting into their curricula and the media have applied no systematic efforts to train already working journalists.

In June 2009 IMS and the Caijing Fellowship Programme of Caijing Magazine will run a two week course on climate change reporting for 10 senior economic/environmental reporters from key Chinese media. The course takes place in Beijing and Copenhagen, where participants will be introduced to Danish energy solutions, Danish policy making and the diplomatic efforts to secure results at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen 2009, the COP15.

If successful, and provided that funds can be mobilised, the course is likely to be repeated in 2010.

Using this course as an opportunity, IMS, the China Media Centre and Caijing Magazine will publish a survey on New Opportunities for Climate Change Reporting in China. Based on extensive field research in China, this survey will make specific recommendations to international media development actors, foreign donors, the Chinese media and the Chinese authorities on how the on-going boost to environmental- and climate change reporting in China can be further enhanced.

Professional exchanges

Few people in the West have any clear understanding of how the media functions in China - and perceptions of Western media in China are often lacking. Myths are plenty and have often lead to serious misperceptions.

IMS contributes to a build-up of greater knowledge of the ways of the Chinese media in Europe and of Western media practises in China.

In November 2008 IMS and the National Commission of UNESCO in Denmark organised a major conference on the growth of media in China.

Following this conference, IMS is working to secure a televised introduction in Denmark on how investigative journalism is practised on Chinese television. IMS is currently mediating negotiations on this project between the Danish Broadcasting Corporation and the CCTV.