(Chinese Newspaper Corruption in the Digital Age)

Abstract

Chinese Abstract: 本文考察了中国平面媒体腐败的程度及原因，并讨论了中国的经济转型和数字革命对媒腐败的影响。这种腐败成为中国记者们正式及非正式职业化的一个强有力的制度性障碍，增加了强大的政治和商业利益对媒体的影响力，并降低了中国舆论监督的有效性。在讨论了中国媒体腐败的盛行和原因之后，作者使用计算机内容分析（辅以数十名中国媒体工作者的背景资料）来衡量腐败的程度。特别是，作者发现与非国资委控股的同业相比，由中国政府的大型国资委控股组织经营的公司似乎在利用腐败来压制新闻报道。这一发现表明，中国经济中一些规模最大、影响力最大的企业可能直接参与贿赂中国记者。然而，新兴的数字媒体最终可能会通过消除平面媒体对新闻的垄断来促进更为清廉的媒体行为。 English Abstract: This paper examines the extent and causes of corruption in China’s print media, and discusses how media corruption is affected by China’s economic transition and digital revolution. Such corruption serves as a potent institutional barrier to formal and informal professionalization among Chinese journalists, increasing the leverage that powerful political and business interests have on the press and reducing the effectiveness of China’s media supervision. After discussing the prevalence and causes of media corruption in China, I use a computer content analysis – supplemented by background information from dozens of Chinese media workers – to measure corruption’s extent. In particular, I find that that companies run by the Chinese government’s massive SASAC holding organization appear to use corruption to suppress press coverage compared to their non-SASAC peers. This finding indicates that some of the largest and most powerful players in the Chinese economy are likely directly involved in bribing Chinese journalists. The emerging digital press, however, might eventually act as a spur to cleaner media conduct by eliminating the print media’s monopoly on the news.