Mass media in China

See also: Media of Hong Kong and Media of Macau

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The mass media in the People's Republic of China primarily consists of television, newspapers, radio, and magazines. Since the start of the 21st century, the Internet has also emerged as an important form of mass media and is under the direct supervision and control of the Chinese government and ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Media in China is strictly controlled and censored by the CCP,[1] with the main agency that oversees the nation's media being the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP.[2][3] The largest media organizations, including the China Media Group, the People's Daily, and the Xinhua News Agency, are all controlled by the CCP.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and until the 1980s, almost all media outlets in mainland China have been state-run. Privately owned media outlets only began to emerge at the onset of the Chinese economic reform, although state media continue to hold significant market share. All media continues to follow regulations imposed by the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP on subjects considered taboo by the CCP, including but not limited to the legitimacy of the party, pro-democracy movements, human rights in Tibet, the persecution of Uyghur people, pornography, and the banned religious topics, such as the Dalai Lama and Falun Gong. All journalists are required to study Xi Jinping Thought to maintain their press credentials.[4] Hong Kong, which has maintained a separate media ecosystem than mainland China, is also witnessing increasing self-censorship.[5]

Reporters Without Borders consistently ranks China very poorly on media freedoms in their annual releases of the World Press Freedom Index, labeling the Chinese government as having "the sorry distinction of leading the world in repression of the Internet".[6] As of 2023, China ranked 179 out of 180 nations on the World Press Freedom Index.[7]

  1. ^ "Freedom in the World 2022 - China Country Report". Freedom House. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  2. ^ Buckley, Chris (March 21, 2018). "China Gives Communist Party More Control Over Policy and Media". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "China's Central Propaganda Department Takes Over Regulation of All Media". Radio Free Asia. March 3, 2018. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Greenslade, Roy (June 20, 2012). "Hong Kong journalists complain about editor's self-censorship". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  6. ^ "Reporters Sans Frontieres: Enemies of the Internet: China". Reporters without Borders. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  7. ^ "Index". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2023.