“Tell China's story well”

Abstract

China has invested heavily in boosting the country’s international acceptance as a global power in order to gain “discourse power” (the right to speak) in the international arena. In their attempt to pursue “discourse power,” Chinese journalists often struggle between serving targeted foreign audiences and abiding by domestic rules. Chinese journalists are trained to modify their international ethical awareness and professional practices in accordance with the Communist Party’s voice. Ethical reflections on international norms of journalism are important in the construction of ideological frameworks for journalistic self-regulation in international reporting. This chapter focuses on how Chinese journalists discern and formulate features of internationalism in their news practice. It explores how journalists conceptualize and practice “the Party’ code” in international reporting, examining the most significant values as reflected in journalists’ international ethical awareness and how the dominant ethical paradigm has been challenged in an era of economic and technological transformation.