Question: I have a question about the CCTV-9 English-language news channel
I get on my local American cable system. I'll watch its international
news coverage and they have no problem reporting about elections in
various countries, or opposition parties' positions relative to official
government positions. But then in China any mention of democracy, elections,
or oppositions is ruthlessly suppressed. So how does China reconcile its
refusal to allow even discussion of democracy within its territory with
its reporting on democratic elections in other countries? And of course
I'd like to know whether CCTV-9 is actually watched by Chinese within China.
Is it simply a translation of the regular CCTV Chinese-language broadcast,
or is it aimed at foreigners? In other words, are the references to elections
and opposition parties mentioned in the domestic broadcasts?
Answer:I've read the Epoch Times, I always wondered who published it and
what their agenda was. They are always telling how their stories
are censored in China, and lately they've been claiming to be a
victim of Chinese government harassment in San Francisco, suggesting
that the murder of a prominent Chinatown businessman was the work
of pro-communist sympathizers.
But I was under the impression that the Chinese media never reported
any bad news. If CCTV-9 is any indication, everything is rosy in
China and there are no natural or manmade disasters, serial killers,
or anything except stock market reports and cultural events. I
even heard that until a few years ago the weather reports were
censored, that the temperature forecasts were outright lies. But
to be fair, NHK news from Japan was the same, benign cultural and
business stories and never any mention of all the serial killers.
