Off The Record

Further to our recent posts on this issue, a superb analysis of the problem has been written by Associated Press and published by the International Herald Tribune.  The article lists a number of institutional problems that have led to corruption and low ethics among Chinese journalists, including:

1. Tight controls on what the media can report;

2. The close link between media advertising departments and editorial departments, with many journalists required to bring in revenue and meet monthly revenue targets;

3. Increasing business pressure in a saturated media market.
   

Interestingly the article highlights that journalists at the business magazine Cai Jing are required to sign a code of ethics that forbids them from accepting hong bao.  Cai Jing is revered – and feared - in the market for its hard-hitting, no holds barred investigative reporting that has blown the lid on wrong-doings at many Chinese corporations.

Read the IHT article for more insight into this problem.