China is taking advantage of the economic hardships of Western publishers to buy itself reputable platforms for its propaganda. In the US, but also in Germany, large sums of money flow into advertisements and inserts in renowned newspapers and magazines. Things could hardly go any better for Beijing. Because this provides the People's Republic a platform for the public display of its political interests.
By Marcel Grzanna
A photograph of a Chinese weightlifter is being used as a tool by Chinese diplomats to rally against foreign media. Correspondents reporting from the flooded areas in Henan are being threatened. Affected journalists strongly suspect a deliberate campaign by Chinese authorities.
By Marcel Grzanna
How can useful information be gleaned from party media to assess the situation in China? In the past, sinologists understood the art of being alchemists of language who could still dig gold out of lead deserts full of stupid propaganda. They only had to discover the paragraph that began with "danshi" (but). Here the new information was hiding. After the relaunch of the ZK theory magazine "Qiushi," a new source opened up.
By Antje Sirleschtov