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### Viewing cable 07BEIJING7035, OPEN BUT NOT TRANSPARENT: LOCAL REPORTERS

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07BEIJING7035 | 2007-11-08 10:10 | 2010-12-04 18:06 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Beijing

`

    VZCZCXRO1280
    PP RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
    DE RUEHBJ #7035/01 3121053
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    P 081053Z NOV 07
    FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3343
    INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 007035

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2032
    TAGS: PHUM PGOV PROP CH
    SUBJECT: OPEN BUT NOT TRANSPARENT: LOCAL REPORTERS
    CRITICIZE 17TH PARTY CONGRESS MEDIA STRATEGY

    REF: A. BEIJING 6606
    ¶B. OSC CPP20071019968173

    Classified By: Political Internal Unit Chief Dan
    Kritenbrink.  Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

    Summary
    -------

    ¶1. (C) Although the Communist Party employed a more
    sophisticated media strategy during the 17th Communist
    Party Congress October 15-21, local contacts tell us
    they were disappointed with the Party's tight
    regulation of domestic coverage while the Congress was
    in session.  Press controls inside China were at least
    as severe, if not slightly more so, than during the
    16th Party Congress in 2002.  Although reporters this
    time were treated to more press conferences and
    granted greater access to meetings and delegates,
    journalists were given very little of substance to
    report.  Caijing, a magazine known for cutting edge
    reporting, was denied press credentials altogether,
    according to one contact.  Some sources tell us,
    however, that the Party leadership believes the
    improved treatment of foreign journalists resulted in
    more positive international coverage of the Congress.
    End summary.

    Access Versus Substance
    -----------------------

    ¶2. (C) In the lead up to the 17th Communist Party
    Congress, Chinese official media trumpeted the
    unprecedented number of journalists, both foreign and
    domestic, who had received credentials to cover the
    event.  Altogether, according to a Xinhua News Agency
    report, the Party accredited 807 domestic and 1,135
    foreign reporters, compared with 570 domestic and 840
    foreign journalists for the 16th Party Congress in
    ¶2002.  Xinhua also boasted about the greater number of
    press conferences that took place on the margins of
    the Congress and the expanded ability of journalists
    to observe meetings and interview delegates.  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX

    ¶3. (C) Local journalists generally agreed that while
    Party propaganda officials went through the motions of
    media openness, they offered reporters very little of
    substance.  The "unprecedented" access to delegates,
    several contacts told us, amounted to little more than
    listening to a wider array of Party leaders
    robotically praise General Secretary Hu Jintao's
    political report.  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX told Poloff XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX that even though domestic journalists were granted
    entree to more meetings than at previous Party
    Congresses, the reporting they were actually allowed
    to print was so restricted that the greater access did
    not result in better coverage.  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX (protect) told Poloff XXXXXXXXXXXX
    that he had originally wanted to skip covering the
    17th Party Congress altogether.  Domestic reporting of
    the Congress was "meaningless," XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX

    Press Controls at Least As Tight As 2002
    ----------------------------------------

    ¶4. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX that controls on domestic coverage of the
    17th Party Congress were at least as tight, if not
    more so, than they were during the 16th Party Congress
    in 2002.  The extent of these restrictions can be
    seen, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, in the nearly identical front pages
    Chinese newspapers printed October 23, the day after
    the Party unveiled the new nine-member Politburo
    Standing Committee (PBSC).  Nearly every Chinese
    paper, XXXXXXXXXXXX observed, ran "Hu Jintao Elected General

    BEIJING 00007035  002 OF 003

    Secretary" as the top headline.  The Southern

    SIPDIS
    Metropolis News (Nanfang Dushi Bao) was the only paper
    to push these limits by inserting some actual news
    into its October 23 headline:  "Still Nine Standing
    Committee Members, Four Are New."  Had Chinese
    journalists been allowed to report the unveiling of
    the new PBSC as a real news event, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, then the
    headlines would have been about the promotion of Xi
    Jinping and Li Keqiang directly to the PBSC thus
    bypassing the regular Politburo.

    XXXXXXXXXXXX
    --------------------------------

    ¶5. (C) While several media contacts have said that
    press credentials for this latest Congress were easier
    to obtain than in the past (Ref A), at least one
    independent-minded publication was left in the cold.XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX

    No Tears On CCTV
    -----------------

    ¶6. (C) China's domestic media took to heart Party guidance
    that news coverage remain upbeat and that negative
    stories should be avoided (Ref A).  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX told Poloff XXXXXXXXXXXX
    that some media outlets took these directives against
    negative news to extremes.  XXXXXXXXXXXX said his friends at
    China Central Television (CCTV) told him that station
    managers had banned all "negative" images from the
    screen.  During the Congress, CCTV would not show
    images of people crying, regardless of the
    circumstances.  Even nature shows depicting animals
    stalking and killing prey were cut because such scenes
    were considered "inharmonious," XXXXXXXXXXXX said.

    Party Happy With International Coverage
    ---------------------------------------

    ¶7. (C) Some contacts, however, said that the Party
    Congress media strategy of keeping journalists busy
    with press conferences and junkets (propaganda
    officials took foreign journalists to visit the newly
    constructed National Grand Theater as well as Olympic
    sites) was effective in terms of managing
    international coverage.  Communist Party leaders, XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX said, are generally pleased with the
    international coverage of the Congress.  Overall the
    international press was more positive than it was
    during 16th Party Congress in 2002, XXXXXXXXXXXX commented,
    with more focus on individual leaders and less on
    factional infighting.  XXXXXXXXXXXX said he gives the
    Party Congress Media Center a grade of "90 percent"
    for its management of the international press.  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    agreed with XXXXXXXXXXXX that international reporting was more
    to the Party's liking than in 2002.  While reporters
    for the Associated Press might have been upset with
    the lack of substance, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, reporters from the
    developing world were generally pleased with the cushy
    treatment they received.

    Internet Controls and Baidu Hijacking
    -------------------------------------

    BEIJING 00007035  003 OF 003

    ¶8. (C) Contacts were nearly unanimous in their
    assessment that Internet controls were extremely tigt
    during the Congress.  Popular websites scrubed their
    chat rooms of even the most mildly negative or
    sarcastic postings, several of our interlocutors told
    us.  Numerous foreign media outlets reported that on
    October 18 Chinese Internet users conducting searches
    using Yahoo and Google were redirected to the Chinese
    search engine Baidu (Ref B).  While many Beijing-based
    contacts had not heard of these reports, Emboffs
    experienced this hijacking phenomenon first hand both
    in Beijing and in Chengdu.  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX (protect) told Poloff on XXXXXXXXXXXX that
    certain Google searches had indeed been rerouted.  For
    example, typing in "Dalai Lama" would get you
    immediately rerouted to Baidu, with a message that
    "there is no information on your request."  Most
    searches on Google, however, were not interfered with,
    XXXXXXXXXXXX said.  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    told Poloff that Baidu has a bad reputation among
    journalists because of its alleged kowtowing to
    Chinese authorities.  For example, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, a Baidu
    search of former Party Secretary Jiang Zemin reveals
    nothing but fawning news pieces.  Baidu, XXXXXXXXXXXX said,
    actually gets more freedom because of its close
    relationship with the Chinese Government and thus is
    the best search engine for searches using Chinese
    characters.  Google remains the best for English
    searches, XXXXXXXXXXXX said.

    "Depressing" State of Press Freedom
    -----------------------------------

    ¶9. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX told Poloff XXXXXXXXXXXX that the tight media
    controls surrounding the Congress were expected but
    "depressing" nonetheless.  XXXXXXXXXXXX commented that no
    information about internal Party deliberations was
    revealed in the media and China's press was devoid of
    any real news during the Congress.  "Even at the very
    end, nobody knew for sure if the Standing Committee
    would have nine or seven members," XXXXXXXXXXXX said, "why must
    all of this be kept so secret?"  This information
    control has had a dampening effect on public and
    academic debate about policy directions China should
    take, XXXXXXXXXXXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX told Poloff XXXXXXXXXXXX that he and other
    liberal academics have had great difficulty in recent
    months publishing "sensitive" articles, particularly
    dealing with democracy and rule of law, as a result of
    the Congress.  However, XXXXXXXXXXXX said that even though
    press controls remain tight, the Party has lost much
    of its ability to set the public agenda.  The
    Communist Party can still control what is covered in
    the media, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, "but they cannot dictate what
    people care about."  XXXXXXXXXXXX
    echoed this point, noting that the wider array of
    media options now makes it easier for Chinese to tune
    out Party Congress propaganda.  "Rather than watch
    CCTV coverage of the Congress," XXXXXXXXXXXX said, "people can
    now just switch to one of the 60 other channels
    available."
    Randt

`