Qian Gang, co-director of JMSC's China Media Project

Qian, a noted journalist and co-director of the JMSC’s China Media Project, gave his analysis in a 30-minute presentation prepared by Radio Television Hong Kong.  The show, which aired on TVB on January 30th, tells the history of China's media and its current state through Qian's eyes, and his own evolution as a journalist in China.  He also narrated the piece, part of a four-part series of discussions entitled “Thinking about China” that RTHK produced to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the mainland’s economic reforms.

During the show, Qian attempted to answer a question that often baffles outside observers of China's media: why and how do Chinese journalists continue to pursue the truth despite the endless difficulties they face?

He replied that Chinese journalists today work under conditions shaped by three factors: control, change and chaos.

He says commercial development of the news media has been imperative for China since the 1990s, as economic growth – and the social change that has accompanied it – have created the demand for much greater public information. 

Yet even as the media change to accommodate this demand, information control is still critical for the Communist Party’s maintenance of political control. The result of this collision of priorities, in Qian’s view, has been a "chaos" dynamic in which professionally minded journalists can find the space to pursue tough stories and apply pressure for change, despite continued censorship and control of the media. 

The entire show, which aired in Cantonese and Putonghua, is available on the RTHK website with Chinese subtitles.  RTHK says an English-language version will be released later this year.