On The Crisis Of The Chinese Media Reported

In the wake of 20 years' reform and opening policy, China is currently at the critical moment of economic transition and social transformation. At the same time, China is now entering the fifth crisis outburst period. Crisis coverage is an important topic facing Chinese media in the modern society. However, due to the constraints of traditional news concepts and news policies, there are many obvious problems with the crisis coverage. The outbreak of SARS crisis in 2003 has led to the full recognition of the necessity of improving Chinese media's crisis coverage. The research on crisis is now a hot topic of management and sociology, while the systematic research on media's crisis coverage based on journalism is not yet started. I hope that the theoretical thinking reflected in my dissertation will introduce the research in this field. Large quantities of cases concerning crisis coverage in my dissertation are very practical, and will provide reference for the reporting of today's media.Based on journalism, while comprehensively combines the relevant theory of management, law, communication and politics, this dissertation systematically summarizes various problems that Chinese media are facing in their crisis coverage. The dissertation consists of six chapters. Chapter One and Two are about the basic theories on crisis, focusing on the conception, classification and functions of crisis, analyzing the features of modern crisis, summarizing the requirements of crisis coverage in the context of globalization. Chapter Three and Four are mainly about the traditional framework of Chinese media's crisis coverage and the dynamic mechanism of its continuous breakthrough. Chapter Five reviews the developmental procedure of Chinese Party's crisis coverage, picking from different periods the various typical cases of crisis coverage, with a focus on the analysis of various problems existing in Chinese media's crisis coverage since the reform and opening up policy. Chapter Six does research on the countermeasures, and explores the possibilities of ensuring the functional development of Chinese media's crisis coverage from the angle of institutional construction.To understand crisis in an accurate way is the very first step in improving Chinese media's crisis coverage. Crisis is the combination of "danger" and "opportunity". Our traditional view keeps its eyes on the side of "danger", equating crisis to "disaster". Crisis is a kind of objective existence beyond anybody's volition. Complexity of the objective world and the limitation of human cognition are the general reasons behind any crisis. Because of the acceleration effect of technology, standardization of social production, and the economic globalization, crises in modern society are characterized by prevalence, suddenness, dysfunction, globalization and involvement.Thus, crisis coverage must follow "he international consuetude" rather than "Chinese model" . It is the basic requirements for modern Chinese media's crisis coverage to stick to be practical and realistic, to be people-centered approaches, and to keep to the "3T" principles of crisis coverage.Media is the "watchdog" of the society. The degree and the way that crisis coverage play its role greatly concern the stability and functional development of the whole society at large. In this respect, China boasts successful experience, but also suffers from failures. Media crisis coverage also plays an important role in cultivating rational citizens, enhancing the clean and efficient operation of governments, and improving individual's crisis consciousness. In the different stages of crisis development, media have different functions. In the potential stage, if media can pre-alarm the advent of social danger, the society may respond immediately and minimize the damage caused by crisis. During the outburst of crisis, the mainstream media providing sufficient information about crisis is the most powerful way to eliminate various hearsays and rumors. This will help remove social panic, maintain social stability. During its diffusion, media are important instruments of harmonizing social relations, allocating social resources, and implementing public view surveillance. They serve as catalyst to promote social cohesion so as to take unanimous action in the face of crisis. In the withdrawing period, review by media may prompt us to draw lessons from crisis experience so as to improve future work, push the society forward, and prevent the reoccurrence of similar crisis.Various relevant laws and regulations on media's crisis coverage and China's news concepts and news policies are two important factors influencing current crisis coverage of Chinese media. Making clear the embodied problems is the priority in improving China's crisis coverage. From the legal perspective, the general lack of civil law spirit in China is the deep-rooted reason why Chinese media have difficulty in conducting overall crisis coverage. The over-generalization of "confidential law" and "unity of publicity" principle as stipulated by laws pose direct constraints on media's crisis coverage. China's media are relatively successful in such two fields as product quality and manufacturing security, which is interrelated to the guarantees provided by "Consumer interest protection law" and "Secured production law". As for news concepts and news policies, reconsideration should be given, in the new era of reform and opening up, to the position of media's nature, to the guideline of favoring positive report, to the understanding of public view surveillance, and to the various practices formed along with the journalism work. All of them are closely related to Chinese media's crisis coverage.The deepening of China's reform and opening up policy, especially the continuous progress in political civilization, is the fundamental momentum behind further expansion of Chinese media's crisis coverage. The function of media as social instruments has been reinforced. The change of medium ecology against globalization makes the crisis coverage a must not only due to medium competition, but also due to institutionalization. The news reform in China in the past years also provides basic conditions, accumulates rich experience for crisis coverage. The popularity of weekly periodicals and comments on public affairs are the major characteristics. The quick emergence and outstanding performance of Internet become another important prompter of Chinese media's current crisis coverage.In the case of severe class struggles and national crisis, Chinese Party's news and publicity work used to play a great role. However, some of the news concepts and...