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I was chatting with a friend recently about what the West in general, and Americans in particular, seem to get right (and wrong) about China. The NBC Olympic coverage provides a good starting point for this conversation. You recall the initial concern from the network and many Western news outlets was that the government would pull the television plug if there was some off-putting protest during the Games. That never happened. And then there was concern about filming from touchy locations, such as Tiananmen Square. That also proved not to be a problem.
The post-Olympic drumbeat of expectations has already started. Now that China has produced a brilliant Olympics, allowed 3,000 foreign journalists into Beijing without too much of a hassle, and walked away with a ton of medals, the country must be ready and confident enough to open up in the fullest sense of the word. In respect to media this would mean a foreign entity could enter China without government approval and have direct control over internal content. While this is a consummation, as the saying goes, devoutly to be wished, the above scenario will probably not happen any time soon. After all the hoopla about whether NBC would be allowed to film from Tiananmen Square, the network coverage settled into the same comfortable format that could not have caused Chinese government officials any concern.
Given all the Western news reports charting the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, one would think the place is awash in useful information. Read more
From a marketing point of view the Beijing Olympic organizing committee so far seems brilliant in its positioning of the Games. Read more
MPA's Chuck McCullagh analyzes the 36th FIPP World Magazine Congress in Beijing. Read more
Mark Traphagen discusses the importance of trademark rights in China for international publishers. Read more
When it comes to most businesses, China seems ready, willing and eager for investments. The media, however, are another matter... Read more
Mexico, we are told by the experts, should most appropriately be compared to Spain from a publishing perspective, rather than strictly a country... Read more
Some images seem to transcend countries and cultures. The parable of the blind men in a room with an elephant is often invoked by writers on China to Read more
A guide to China's media scene. Reviewed by Charles McCullagh. Read more
