Coverage of Tibet: an initial analysis
JMSC6058 Ying Chan
Journalism and Media Studies Centre
October 27, 2011
News on self immolation,Tibet
Monks’ immolation: Tibet PM-in-exile seeks UN help
India Today – 7 minutes ago
The prime minister of Tibetan government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, on Thursday expressed shock at the number of acts of self-immolation by monks in the … 333 related articles
Tibetan protests against China turn desperate as self-immolations … Globe and Mail
Tenth Tibetan Reported to Self-Immolate in Anti-China Protest New York Times – 339 related articles
Tibetan monk’s suicide try seen in leaked video
Self-Immolation of Tibetan Monk Lobsang Konchok
Dalai Lama politicizes monk suicides
Global Times Sept 28, 2011
The news that two Tibetan monks inSichuanProvinceset themselves alight Monday attracted attention from Western media outlets. They invariably quoted a source from Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama’s group in exile, and claimed the self-immolations were protests againstChina’s curbs on religious freedom.
If the tragedy indeed took place as depicted by Western media, it is the Dalai Lama group who should take moral responsibility for it.
Self-immolation in protest has no place in the widening space for individual expression inChina. The Dalai Lama group’s use of such extreme acts is repulsive.
They appear to sympathize with the two teenage monks, but in fact make nasty calculations to turn these acts into political gains.
Huffington Post
China Accuses Dalai Lama Of Inciting Self-Immolation
The “single” administration, as the Dalai Lama proposed, would cover the Tibet Autonomous Region, the wholeQinghaiProvince, parts ofSichuan,YunnanandGansuprovinces
Background
- Protests inTibet, 2008,
- Dalai Lama ceding political power, 3/2011
- Election of Prime Minister of exiled government, 8/2011
- New Party Secretray Appointed 8/2011
- Obama meets Dalai, 7/2011
- Wave of self-immolations, 3-9, 2011
Reuters
Chinese security forces inLhasa,Tibet, took cover during a fifth day of protests. The banner overhead reads, “Strengthen public safety management, safeguard political stability.”Beijingis facing the most serious demonstrations inTibetsince the 1980s
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/06/world/asia/lobsang-sangay-tibet/index.html
Chen Quanguo appointed Party Secretary of Tibet
陈全国任西藏党委书记
法國國際廣播電台8月26日報道，56歲的陳全國長期在河南工作，1998年李克強從共青团中央第一書記轉任河南省長時，陳是副省長，兩人同年，對河南工作富有經驗的陳全國5年來對李克強幫助良多，因此被視為李的親信。2009年陳全國接替团派的崛起之星胡春華出任河北省長，這次更被委派封藏 大吏，顯示得到高層賞識。
陈全国1955年11月出生，河南平舆人。新任西藏党委書記的陳全國，河南人，1955年11月生。參過軍、当過工人，历任河南省副省長，省委常委、組織部長和省委副書記，河北省委副書記、副省長、代省長、省長。是十七屆中央候補委員。。2009年调河北省工作，历任省委副书记、代省长、省长。是十七届中央候补委 员
Media coverage ofTibet
- New York Times on Tibet, 2011
- People’s Daily on Tibet
- Other international media: BBC, Guardian, RT, Al Jazeera
- OtherChinamedia: Xinhua, Global Times
- Sina weibo
- Tencent weibo
- Think tanks
Initial observations
- Narrow news agenda
- Limited sources
- News agenda shaped by overseas Tibetan groups
- No access to location: all stories filed fromBeijing
Sources for Int’l media
- Students for a Free Tibet
- International Campaign for Tibet
- Free Tibet
- Limited response from Xinhua or China’s Foreign Ministry
Others
- RussiaToday Chinese
- 俄罗斯之声中文网日前发表报道，题为《中国指责达赖喇嘛是“伪装的恐怖主义”》，摘编如下：
北京指责西藏精神领袖达赖喇嘛支持和鼓励西藏 喇嘛自焚，称这是“伪装的恐怖主义”。
中国外交部发言人姜瑜在北京举行的新闻发布会上表示：“在一系列自焚事件之后，海外西藏独立势力和达赖喇嘛集团，并没有提出批评；相反的，他们美化、强调这个议题，鼓动更多人效法。”
Context of self-immolation
– Thich Quang Duc in 1963. Under the rule of Ngo Dinh Diem, South Vietnam
– Mohamed Bouazizi, Dec. 17, 2010
– Copycats in N.Africa:4 inAlgeria,2 inEgypt,1 inMauritania
– Afghanistan: Women Set Themselves on Fire
- China?
Mohamed Bouazizi (1984-2010)
is considered as the Tunisian national hero who ignited the Tunisian revolution in January of 2011, which toppled the corrupt regime of former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali backed by the west.
Chinain the international news
- Eurozone crisis
– Chinato the rescue?
– The Yuan bill in Congress
- Korea
– Nuclear disarmament
– the six party talks
- SE Asia
– South China Seadispute
– Burma– the dam
- Africa
– Zambia
– Libya – post Gadhafi
- ??
Thank You!
See you next week