| Convenient Criticism: Local Media and Governance in Urban China Contributor(s): Chen, Dan (Author) |
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ISBN: 143848030X ISBN-13: 9781438480305 Publisher: State University of New York Press OUR PRICE: $33.20 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2021 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | American Government - Local - Social Science | Media Studies - History | Asia - China |
| Dewey: 079.51 |
| LCCN: 2019050788 |
| Physical Information: 0.52" H x 6" W x 9" (0.75 lbs) 229 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Why and how does critical reporting persist at the local level in China despite state media control, a hallmark of authoritarian rule? Synthesizing ethnographic observation, interviews, survey and content analysis data, Convenient Criticism reveals evolving dynamics in local governance and the state-media relationship. Local critical reporting, though limited in scope, occurs because local leaders, motivated by political career advancement, use media criticism strategically to increase bureaucratic control, address citizen grievances, and improve governance. This new approach to governance enables the shaping of public opinion while, at the same time, disciplining subordinate bureaucrats. In this way, the party-state not only monopolizes propaganda but also expropriates criticism, which expands the notion of media control from the suppression of journalism to its manipulation. One positive consequence of these practices has been to invigorate television journalists' unique brand of advocacy journalism. |