Article,
WaPo's Ed Cody on media bribery in China
Imagethief (Blog), (29.01.8:14 AM 20070129)Imagethief is William Moss, a public relations professional and writer working in China since 2004. The opinions in this blog are his own, not those of his agency. For more information see Äbout Imagethief", below..
Abstract
How did I miss this?
The Washington Post's Ed Cody has written a fascinating story (via
David Wolf's Silicon Hutong) about a syndrome we in the PR business
in China run into regularly: the practice of media extortion in China.
I can't comment extensively right now, but this is a very real issue.
Cody gets into the history and consequences of the practice:
In many ways, blackmail journalism grew naturally out of a system
in which Communist Party censors control the news rigorously, barring
reports that could be seen as unfavorable to the party or contrary
to the government's political goals. If the ruling party distorts
the news for political reasons, blackmailing reporters have concluded,
why wouldn't they do it themselves for financial reasons?
In addition, local party officials, long used to manipulating information,
have been complicit in the payoff system when it suits their needs.
In the everybody-does-it atmosphere, even non-reporters have found
ways to get in on the take by posing as journalists.
After the August 2005 mine disaster, for instance, reporters and their
friends in Henan province dispatched a flurry of cellphone messages
as soon as they heard the news -- not because they were eager to
report on it, but because they knew local officials would be eager
to hush it up.
By the time Fan Youfeng of the Henan Business News arrived at the
mine, in a village in Jiliao county, local officials said they had
already given money to so many reporters and phony reporters that
the coffers were dry. But still more people showed up, Fan wrote,
and the officials sought more cash, pressing the mine owners to chip
in.
Journalists and poseurs lined up to get their handouts, he said, with
some pushing and jumping the queue. Over several days, the extortionists
carried away 200,000 yuan, or more than $25,000, he reported, quoting
officials and a list signed by those who got the cash.
Encouraged by Ma, his editor, Fan wrote a story for the Henan Business
News about what had happened. It was the first open discussion of
what had become a widespread if secretive practice, Ma said with
a note of pride.
As a result, however, an official from the central government propaganda
department visited from Beijing and accused Ma of publishing an "inappropriate"
and "false" story. The newspaper was suspended for a month, Ma was
forced to retire and Fan was reprimanded, Ma said. The death toll
from the mine disaster was never reported, he added.
Don't miss David's own post on this issue. David is a former colleague
of mine and veteran of public relations in China. David explains
how companies fall into this trap and lays down a very clear policy
for avoiding it. He writes:
There's only one way to avoid falling into this trap:
Repeat after me:
"No matter what my PR people, my PR agency, or anyone else tells me,
OUR COMPANY WILL NEVER PAY FOR COVERAGE, either directly or indirectly."
I wonder how many of our agencies follow that very sound advice.
