The Study Of Chinese Community Media About Development Path

With the development of market economy and social democracy in China, citizens are more ready to be a participator than before. Meanwhile, as audience of news media has been further segmented, mass media is marching towards community media. Since the arrival of the 21st century, community media have been emerging here and there across the country. For example,2000 saw in Beijing the burgeoning of community websites, followed by the coming of Nanshan Daily and Xiang Bao newspaper. Now efforts have been made in theoretical research on the new media. Such a development proves our increasing interest in community media.Community media, a mature media form abroad, is competing with mass media to grab market shares. It is unparalleled within its own coverage. In China, however, small communities so far have not gained attention from public media. Hence, there is a large promising market for community media.Study on community media, analysis in relevant successful cases abroad, and attention to the development concepts of news media in a systematic way could help us better understand the background, fundamental characteristics, and basic functions of community media. This paper seeks to clarify the rise and growth of such a new media in China through an overall analysis, exploiting its stimulus to the news media reform and growth.Based on public journalism, sociology, and relevant theories like social functions of public sphere and media, this paper applies literature analysis and case analysis. Starting with summaries of the specific qualities of community and community media respectively, with reference to the evolvement of both western and oriental community media, this paper analyses major communication element of the new media and the role it plays in our life. The paper emphasizes on such functions of community media as education and service, facilitation of social public sphere, interest protection, and promotion of social development. On the basis of what has been learned from overseas community media combined with our preliminary practice, the paper puts forward possible development paths of community media in China, namely, first, for mass media to transform to community modality in a top-down approach, and second, for grassroots media to grow based on community.