Popular journalism with Chinese characteristics

Abstract

This paper is an interpretative attempt to explore the rise of what the author calls 'popular journalism with Chinese characteristics'. Inspired by the concept of 'popular journalism' discussed in numerous European works, the author uses this term for a new kind of market-driven, readership-oriented journalism that has emerged in the People's Republic of China along with the country's shift from the Soviet-style planned economy to a 'socialist market economy'. Like popular journalism of the Western brand, 'popular journalism with Chinese characteristics' caters to reader interest and needs. Nevertheless, it is government-bound, and has to follow the Chinese Communist Party's political line and policies. For this reason, its role in politics is limited to promoting the Party's cause. Popular journalism with Chinese characteristics is an unintended social consequence in the reform era, not a result of a planned move for political reforms. Despite that, no student of Chinese affairs can afford to make light of its influence on Chinese society even though such influence is often imperceptible.-