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Press self-censorship in China: a case study in the transformation of discourse

LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY, UK, jingrongtong{at}yahoo.com

This article examines the way in which newspaper discourse gets changed. Original reports of three social problem events that journalists sent to two different newsrooms and reports that were published are compared using critical discourse analysis. It is argued that the practice of self-censorship helps newsrooms bypass political 'minefields', and at the same time increase the possibilities of the publication of reports on highly politically sensitive topics. In this sense, in the Chinese authoritarian media system, self-censorship has potentially become a force that increases media freedom instead of a threat to media freedom. This special function of self-censorship fits what Gramsci describes as a 'war of position' for Chinese journalism.

Key Words: Chinese media • Critical Discourse Analysis • newsroom politics • self-censorship

Discourse & Society, Vol. 20, No. 5, 593-612 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0957926509106412


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