The Chinese Media:

Scope Note

This monograph on the Chinese media is drawn from the results of a one-year research project, undertaken as part of the 1995-96 DCI Exceptional Intelligence Analyst Program (EIAP). The author made two research trips to East Asia. His sources include correspondence and interviews with scholars, journalists, businessmen, current and former government officials, and other informed observers in both the United States and the region. He also drew on published materials, including press reports and official Chinese statistics.

This study is unclassified, but several sources who are cited prefer to remain anonymous. Therefore, some of the citations in the study are not specific. Unsourced statements of fact or opinion came from the types of sources noted in the above paragraph.

The Expanding Chinese Media

During the past two decades, China’s print and broadcast media have expanded enormously. As the economy has developed and literacy rates have soared, a rise in the number of well-to-do, more discerning, and better educated citizens has created a market for a much greater range of information and points of view. These demands are being met by an expanding array of Chinese media organizations. Ever-increasing numbers of newspapers and magazines are addressing a growing list of both broad and narrow public issues. A large jump also has occurred in the numbers of television and radio stations.