Chinese Investigative Journalists' Dreams: Autonomy, Agency, and Voice

by Marina Svensson (Editor), Elin Sæther (Editor), Zhi'an Zhang (Editor), Hongyi Bai (Contribution by), Li-Fung Cho (Contribution by)

Overview

This edited volume brings together scholars positioned in and outside of China, including former Chinese journalists, in a comprehensive and in-depth study of Chinese investigative journalists’ dreams, work practices, and strategies. It is the first book that systematically addresses the roles and values of Chinese investigative journalists in different types of media, in the process addressing topics such as journalism education, different generations and sub-groups among investigative journalists, and gendered roles within investigative journalism.

The book discusses journalists’ relations with the state and issues of political control and censorship but seeks to unpack the state by looking at different administrative levels, institutions and geographical locations. Furthermore, the authors acknowledge and analyze how investigative journalism today is shaped, constrained and negotiated through contacts with other actors than the state, including companies, civil society, and the audience. The book sheds light on the possibilities and restrictions for more critical journalism in an authoritarian regime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739189887
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	12/11/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Marina Svensson is associate professor at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University. Her major publications include the monograph Debating Human Rights in China: A Conceptual and Political History and the co-edited volume Making Law Work: Implementation of Lawin China.

Elin Sæther is postdoctoral research fellow in human geography at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo. Her work on Chinese media has been published in the China aktuell-Journal of Current Chinese Affairs.

Zhi’an Zhang is associate professor in the School of Communication and Design, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou. He has published several works in Chinese on investigative journalism, including Journalists’ Professionalism: The Professional Awareness and Reporting Strategies of In- Depth Journalists and In-Depth Reporting: Interviews and Classical Cases of In-Depth Reporting.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1: Agency, Autonomy and Voice among Chinese Investigative Journalists: Rethinking the Role of Journalism, Marina Svensson, Elin Sæther, and Zhi’an Zhang
Part I: Mapping Investigative Journalism: Voices and Demographics
Chapter 2: Speaking for the Weak? Perspectives on Voice Relating to Investigative Journalism in China, Elin Sæther
Chapter 3: The Identities and Demographics of Investigative Journalists in China: Findings from a survey, Fei Shen and Zhi’an Zhang
Part II: Socialisation Processes: Values, Identities and Structures
Chapter 4: Chinese Journalism Students: Balancing competing values, Laura Dombernowsky
Chapter 5: Between Advocacy and Objectivity: New role models among investigative journalists, Hongyi Bai
Chapter 6: Gendering Investigative Journalism: Norms and practices inside and outside the newsroom, Marina Svensson and Haiyan Wang
Part III: Agency, Autonomy and Strategies: Relations to State, Society and Businesses
Chapter 7: Chinese Investigative Journalists’ Coping Tactics in a Restrictive Media Environment, Maria Repnikova
Chapter 8: Self-censorship in News Production: Findings from reports on the ‘toxic milk powder’ scandal, Zhi’an Zhang
Chapter 9: Reporting on Law and Justice: Investigative journalists and the legal system, Marina Svensson
Part IV: Geographical Scales and Variations: Place and Media Cultures
Chapter 10: The Development of Investigative Reporting and Journalistic Professionalism in Southern Weekend, Li-Fung Cho
Chapter 11: Local Investigative Journalism: Understanding the Background, Context and Trajectories of Investigative Journalism in Dahe Daily and Southern Metropolis Daily, Jingrong Tong

Editorial Reviews

Updated and insightful analyses of the politics and culture of investigative journalism in China, which provide a robust thermometer for assessing the trajectory of media practices—-especially the prospect for the logjam of press control to be broken in a Communist-capitalist media system.

Chin-Chuan Lee

This volume considerably expands our knowledge of investigative journalism and its practitioners in China, with original empirical work that sheds light on reporters' education and socialization, newsroom practices and strategies, journalists’ aspirations and frustrations, and a variety of other topics. Of particular note is the focus on illuminating regional and local variations along with national patterns and trends.

Judy Polumbaum

Investigative journalists form a very small but highly interesting subgroup amongst journalists in China. The study of this group can provide information not only about journalism but also about the limits and liberties which critical groups and networks have in an authoritarian state like China. Investigative journalists are therefore often mentioned when discussing journalism and critical debate in China, but so far it has been a challenge to find extensive and recent information on the size and individual variation within this group. The value of this edited volume is that it brings together a wealth of new, solid information on investigative journalists, mainly based on empirical work carried out by scholars both within and outside of China.. . .As indicated by the title, the book focuses on the values, experiences and ideas of investigative journalists themselves rather than on an analysis of their journalistic production. This does not only make the book a fascinating and entertaining read, it also leads to surprising insights in the tensions between what journalists want to achieve and what they can actually achieve in present-day China.. . .The book is clearly the work of people who are aware of the multilayered nature of Chinese society. It describes the complex interactions between journalists and the subjects of their investigation, their colleagues, their audiences, the media they work for, commercial entities and local, regional and national government bodies. Jingrong Tong, in her informative chapter on local investigative journalism, shows which regional and local conditions play a role in the flowering of investigative journalism in certain regions rather than others.

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