EACH night at 7pm, many of China’s television channels beam the state broadcaster’s flagship news programme into Chinese homes: a remorseless half-hour diet of where Xi Jinping went today, how well the economy is doing and (for a few minutes at the end) a look at all those people in foreign countries killing each other. Despite China’s transformation over the past 40 years, the evening news has changed very little. Around a tenth of the population still watch it—a remarkable number given the profusion in recent years of livelier news sources in print and online.
News Simulcast, usually known by its Chinese name, Xinwen Lianbo, has chronicled the country’s extraordinary metamorphosis with almost unremitting leadenness since it was first aired in 1978. The same opening tune has been used for nearly 30 years (though the orchestra has improved). News is chosen not for its importance or human interest but for its political value in bolstering the Communist Party. It is translated into eight minority languages, just to be sure its message is understood by as many people as possible.
The fare has barely changed in decades. A typical...Continue reading
Source: China http://ift.tt/1K0D5il
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