On the Incremental Reform of China’s Media since 1990s

Abstract

This paper is a study on the change of China's madia, the mass medias in China started its incremental reform since 1990 because of marketing. The media increments oriented by this reform lay foundation of the China modern communication politics, also push the old media system into the crisis of adaptation and in the critical point of the reform. As a political study of this phenomenon, this article illustrates the characteristics of China's media system, the reform pressure to the system from these media increments, the development of communication politics and the political dilemma of the media regulation. And then explore the future direction of the China media incremental transformation. Index Terms - incremental reform, China's media system, the media regulation 1. How the Reform under the Media System Carried Out China's media system has two basic functions before 1990, one is that all the mass medias are asked to have positive dissemination that give the political system more legitimacies and powers of social arouse, the other is a function to forbid, that is all the news that have potential damage the basic function of the national politics mustn't disseminate. Both functions of China's media system have a same purpose, which is to ensure that the media can be controlled and be the important tool to demonstration of the national political will. Therefore the nation manipulated all the media resources by the media institution design, which all the media involved in the political power structure, and most important of all, the media system retained the characteristic of wartime system and has the mandatory that cannot be questioned and resistant through the final adjudication as administration out of law. The unresisting mandatory made the China media system become the restrictive factor of the China media Incremental transformation and any reform should be forbidden in this area, and at the same time the Deng's marketing reform provided the possibility and opportunity of media reform in the name of taking part in market economic. In the strong restrictive condition of the media system, the development of China media industry is more difficult than the other industries, which in the precondition of not challenging the system and vested interests but through the exploration within the system that can have continuing revise of the old system. Therefore the Incremental Transformation in China media since 1990 that the start point is not threatening the old system will accumulate the enough reform pressure that results in the old system changes. Marketing made China media not only as the party's throat but also have the motivation to develop itself under the capital will. The release of productivity of China media cause release of more functions which including communication, entertainment and even political function in public sphere. In addition the most important significance of the reform since 1990 is the three incremental factors: the capital invading into media, the public news prevailing and the Internet gaining ground. The three factors force the media system adjusts itself continuously, for instance the capital invading into media lead to the duality of China media industry policy that is the balance between the new system and the old; the public news prevailing deconstruct the hegemony of propaganda languages of the old medias; and the Internet gaining ground end the monopoly of communication channel and lead to the crisis of the news regulation. On the other side China media system show its stability and flexibility. The purpose of adjusting itself is to governing again. 2. The Clash between Media System and Incremental Reform