Chinese Citizens Develop Online Code Bypassing Censorship

While China’s “Great Firewall” of internet censorship is often criticized as being undemocratic and grossly ubiquitous, there is actually an online code being developed by Chinese citizens that not only bypasses regulators, but creates new conceptions of news and community. This code has created a subtle compromise between the Chinese public and its government – between the people’s need for expression and the government’s need for control.

Xiao Qiang, editor of the
China Digital Times

NPR recently unveiled the reality of the code through an interview with Xiao Qiang, the editor of the China Digital Times. Qiang described the phenomenon as the creation of a “public” code, not a “secret” code. For instance, “May 35” is code for June 4, the day of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, yet the code is commonly understood by both the government and the public to mean just that. It is no secret at all. In fact, the coding is so universal that it is rather not a code at all; it is an online language.

Consequently, political criticism is often present on Chinese servers because it passes through surveillance by being indirect. This indirectness is the compromising factor between the Chinese public and government. As long as the commentary is technically ambiguous, and balancing the fine line, the government does not censor it. Allowing some leniency helps the regime stay in control by letting its citizens express grievances in non-violent ways. Above all, China does not want protests. What is targeted the most under the “Great Firewall” is any text indicating a call to action.

This disrupts traditional methods of community building whereby a mass message about a problem is sent out, and then alike individuals gather together in person to solve it. However, it reversely creates a new version of community building by which people meet on the web to discuss their problems. They even discuss those problems through a new language, which they add on to through the endless interactivity that web communication offers.

The creation of the online community also establishes a news hub which is an alternative to the propaganda inflicted news of the government. Citizens can now perceive two different stories, one of which is given validity by the cultivation of multiple accounts online.

Nevertheless, while NPR provides an insider’s view on Chinese internet regulation, other reports such as an article titled “Crackdown on Bloggers Is Mounted by China” describe a far more restrictive situation. While user-generated opinion is growing more powerful, bloggers still have to be careful as government officials can detain offenders for “malicious rumor-mongering online.” So for now, balancing the fine line may not be as common, or easy, as some testimonies might suggest.

Sources:

• "Crackdown on Bloggers Is Mounted by China" - by Chris Buckley
• "How Internet Censorship Actually Works in China" - by Kentaro Toyama
• "In China, Avoiding The 'Great Firewall' Internet Censors" - interview hosted by Jacki Lyden

Related Sources:

• "China Tries Even Harder to Censor the Internet" - by Bruce Einhorn  
• "Cracking the 'Great Firewall' of China's Web censorship" - by Paul Wiseman
• "How Memes Became the Best Weapon Against Chinese Internet Censorship" - by Alexander Abad-Santos
• The Media of Mass Communication - by John Vivian

Civil War and Chemical Weapons in Syria

Who cares about Syria?
Currently there are deadly civil wars raging throughout the country of Syria with no one solution to the problem. Syrian leader Assad has used chemical weapons over the course of these wars, which has led to discussion of possible military action from other countries.
To be fair, a lot of people worldwide are making Syrian civil wars a major priority, but the issue in the United States is examined very differently than it is in major global news outlets.

Syria in US-based News: CNN

This CNN video is from November 1 and details some of the present issues in the country. However, while Syria is the first issue mentioned, it is given only a minute of coverage in a ten-minute long video that covers everything from airline regulations to daylight savings time.

On the "World News" section of CNN's website (shown above in a screenshot), there is no mention of Syria whatsoever, even if you scroll down the entire page. Instead, the webpage is taken up by a variety of catchy headlines and entertainment news, such as "Do you know your sharks?" and "Doctor gives free surgeries". To find any information about Syria, it becomes necessary to search "syria" on the website and sift through the 11,975 results for recent and relevant articles.

Syria in Global News: Al Jazeera

In contrast to the brief mentions of Syria on CNN, the global news outlet Al Jazeera not only publishes constantly updated news  on the Syrian conflict and chemical weapons issue, but also created a separate news section for Syria, shown above. Articles covering such issues as the rising death rate of journalists in Syria (17 have died in the Syrian conflict in 2013 alone) and potential peace conferences, as well as more in-depth niche interest pieces such as religious minorities in the civil war. Al Jazeera doesn't just have articles about the myriad of issues in Syria, the news outlet has made strides towards entirely complete coverage so detailed as to merit a separate section that even has its own stylized header.

Comparison

The CNN website demonstrates a common principle in news media that seems to be especially present in the United States- news as entertainment and entertainment as news. We in America constantly demand more from our news. We don't want long articles, we want short, concise lists. We don't want to read anything at all, we want a video to talk to us. We don't want the video to talk for too long, we want a new topic every minute or two. We don't want just a talking video, we want an entertaining video. The cycle goes on and on, and as an American-based corporation, CNN dutifully fulfills the wishes of its consumers by featuring those news items that have the highest entertainment value and the greatest likelihood of being clicked on and shared around the web..

Al Jazeera uses some of these techniques, but its primary form of news distribution is traditional, long form articles. This may very well be on its way out of fashion and Al Jazeera is likely to follow this trend, but its current coverage is very different than CNN's. Short videos are included occasionally in news coverage, but they are almost exclusively news anchors and lack the pizzazz of other news outlets. Instead, visual elements are used to great effect in terms of dymanic pictures and news articles are comprehensive and well-researched. There is little to no element of "infotainment", which helps to emphasize the serious and dire nature of many of the news items that are discussed in the articles.

Sources

Saving Syria: Assessing Options for Regime Change
CNN Student News 
Syria: Too Dangerous to Cover?
The Scramble for Geneva II
Syria's Minorities: Caught in the Middle?
Privacy and Attention Span
C

The Power of News Media: "Diplomatic Meltdown" or "Growing Anger"?

You have likely heard all about the Edward Snowden/National Security Agency (NSA) leak scandal that has been prominent across many media outlets since Snowden’s first “leak” in June of 2013.

Get an overview on Edward Snowden, former U.S. NSA employee, here.

The global coverage continues today with media outlets (TV, radio, newspaper) confronting the leaked information about secret CIA and NSA operations in different ways. 

Most recent scandal: The NSA likely surveilled German Chancellor Angela Merkel's private communications. (Information revealed by Snowden, of course. And yes, this means tapping the Chancellor's personal cell phone.)

This article will compare United States' and Germany's newspaper coverage of this issue.

See the Abendzeitung Munich: "Diplomatic Meltdown."

See the New York Times: "Anger Growing Among Allies on U.S. Spying."

Trends to notice:

• Political Controversy: Like I said in my last post, controversy, especially on this global scale, means interesting content. Interest equals profit for media companies.
• Newspapers worldwide covered this material.
• Demassification: Both newspapers emphasized specific information that was relevant to their audience. 
• For example, each paper published it in their country's respective language.

• Media Purposes:
• Community building
• Other articles in the German press suggest tips to make sure you, a potential NSA target, aren't being surveilled. These articles create a community through country-wide shock and outrage.

Abendzeitung Munich headlines concerning the NSA scandal.

• Inform & entertain
• Because it's political controversy, these stories are newsworthy (selected because they are deemed important by gatekeepers) as well as interesting.
• Both articles are serious and informative, but as seen above, Abendzeitung Munich posted more creative articles like, "How to make life difficult for the NSA."
• Effects:
• Framing
• What the NY Times calls a "diplomatic challenge," Abendzeitung Munich calls "completely unacceptable."
• Each paper explains the same event in a different way, giving their audiences a different frame of understanding from which to draw conclusions.
• Agenda-setting
• Media decide what their audience is aware of. By covering and dramatizing this event, these papers force the controversy to the front of knowledge.

It is critical to note media's huge function in our lives, especially when considering powerful news sources. Without proper consideration, media can decide what we, their audience, thinks about. You must be aware of media motives and trends to be an informed citizen. Simply relying on articles in your favorite newspaper is no longer enough.


Check out the full sources for more info.

• Sources used in this article:
• "Anger Growing Among Allies on U.S. Spying" by New York Times
• "Diplomatic Meltdown" by Abendzeitung Munich
• "Generating Newsworthiness: Interpretive Construction of Public Events" by Marylin Lester
• "The Case for Demassification" by John Sheridan
• "The Media of Mass Communication" by John Vivian
• Extra news sources
• "Edward Snowden is NSA Info Leaker" by CNN
• "How to make life difficult for the NSA" by Abendzeitung Munich
• "NSA Files Decoded" by The Guardian
• "Why Angela Merkel is Outraged" by Miami Herald