Covering the Environment and HealthJMSC0034: Covering ChinaFall 2011Ms. Sky Canaves

Issues of China’s Growth Resource scarcity: energy, food,

minerals, water Pollution: air, water, food Health: overcrowding, workers’

conditions, food and drug safety Role of lax legal enforcement, corruption

Global implicationsGeo-politics of water: Brahma

Chellany No substitute for water Limitations on imports Relatively dry region with high population

growth Water-intensive agriculture, especially for

rising meat consumption Over-damming of rivers

Global implicationsChina-Burma dam dispute

Chinese company running dam project along Irrawaddy river in Burma

Almost all electricity generated by dam would have been purchased by China

But protests over relocations and environmental impact lead to halt

China calls on Burmese government to respect the company’s legal rights and interests

Global implications

Global implicationsChina-Burma dam dispute

Reporting on dispute: not all mention Chinese role apart from construction

More backstory: fighting since June near dam site between Burmese army and independence forces

Dam perceived as way for army to take control over region

Thousands of refugees, unknown number dead

Reporting on IssuesWhich issues are most pressing?How does media report and

frame the issues?What are the impacts of media

attention?What is the role of public

opinion?

Media, Environment and Health Issues in China Shows interaction between government,

media and public Expansion of media outlets creates new

opportunities for different types of reporting

Communications and advocacy role of environmental civil society organizations

Public mobilization around new technologies

Media, Environment and Health Issues in China Protests over environmental and health issues,

while possibly sensitive, not as threatening to Party dominance as other issues

Party is outwardly aligned with goals of environmental sustainability and good health of citizens

But contradictions over growth vs. environment, health, safety

What happens when corruption and politics are implicated in crises and scandals?

Case Study: AIDS in Henan

Case Study: AIDS in Henan

Blood selling practice encouraged by local officials

Awareness of problems in 1995-1996

But local obstructionism killed the story

Interference with doctors and testing

Lack of transparency in reporting illnesses

Case Study: AIDS in Henan Jan. 2000: Zhang Jicheng reports in

Huaxi Dushibao (Sichuan province) Chinese media and academic reports Concerns raised with Beijing May 2011: Henan bans media coverage

of AIDS after Dahe Daily report Aug. 2000: New York Times coverage

begins to draw global attention

Case Study: AIDS in HenanGradual progress on story by

journalists from variety of independent-leaning and foreign media, experts

Compare extensive coverage in Chinese outlets with relatively brief but powerful reporting from foreign sources

Case Study: AIDS in HenanCalculated risks v. repercussions

Cross-regional reporting “Shouldering the door”: enough people

apply limited force “Boxing under the table”: working within

Party restrictions “Jiao Junior”: wait until someone else

speaks out first, then follow suit “Taking half a step”: Don’t jump the gun

Case Study: SARS Limited reporting prior to appearance in

Hong Kong in Feb. 2003 By April 10, Ministry of Health had

disclosed only 22 cases April 20: acknowledgement of a serious

problem, 339 cases counted, health minister and Beijing mayor sacked

April 27: official tally nears 3,000 Chinese media criticism of handling

Case Study: SARS Jiang Yanyong: the “SARS” doctor

Whistleblower sent letter to CCTV4 and Phoenix News

Contradicted official count of only 12 cases in Beijing. Jiang said one hospital alone had seen 60 cases, with seven deaths

Letter leaked to foreign media

Case Study: SARS Caijing magazine reporting revealed

spread of SARS in Beijing

Case Study: SARSAftermath

Lessons for transparency? January 2004: Swift retribution for

Southern Metropolis Daily after re-emergence of SARS reported

Fall 2009: Slow reporting on H1N1 deaths

Limited power of WHO

Case Study: Songhua River

Case Study: Songhua River Nov. 13, 2005: Chemical plant explosion

triggers toxic spill in northeast China Early Chinese media reports mentioned

the plant explosion but not the spill -- until water supplies to major city of Harbin had to be cut

Initial government response was that water supplies suspended for routine maintenance – misinformation fuels rumors and panic

Case Study: Songhua River CCTV broke the story of the spill , no

longer a local issue Environmental minister Xie Zhenhua

resigned right away, but appointed NDRC vice-minister a year later, China’s Copenhagen climate change negotiator

5-year, 13 billion RMB plan to clean Songhua river announced, subsequently extended to 10-years, 26 billion RMB

Case Study: Packages Collection of stories on environmental and

health impacts of China’s rapid economic growth WSJ: lead poisoning, water pollution, white

dolphin, illegal mining, among other stories on social costs of growth, won Pulitzer

NYT: a year later sole focus on health and environment

Another NYT package, “A Toxic Pipeline,” that touched on China, also won Pulitzer

Case Study: PackagesHow do foreign media represent

China’s environmental and health issues?

How are the stories framed?What are common themes?How do foreign media decide

which stories to cover?

Case Study: PackagesWSJ:

http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2007-International-Reporting

NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/08/26/world/asia/choking_on_growth.html

NYT: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/series/toxicpipeline/index.html

Case Study: Three Gorges Dam

Case Study: Three Gorges Dam Reporting in China: Dai Qing Yangtze! Yangtze! (是否该进行长江三峡水坝的工程 ) (1989)

The River Dragon Has Come! ( 水龍來了 !)(1996)

Reporter as activist: Dai has been vocal opponent of dam, jailed after 1989

Case Study: Three Gorges Dam Reporting in English: WSJ (2007) Focus on erosion, landslides, silt build-

up, pollution , structural dangers Some prior coverage by Chinese media,

but WSJ report acknowledged by government official weeks later

Follow up story on revelation of additional relocation plans affecting 2 million

Case Study: Tainted Milk Sanlu: company at center of scandal,

based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province

43% owned by Fonterra, New Zealand Dairy giant

On Sept. 5, Fonterra had informed NZ government, which then turned to authorities in Beijing

Case Study: Tainted Milk Unscrupulous producers added chemical

melamine to watered-down milk to increase appearance of protein content

Melamine is toxic, causing kidney failure in severe cases

Xinhua reported unusual outbreak of kindey stones in Gansu province on Sept. 10, 2008

Local papers followed up the next day

Case Study: Tainted Milk Southern Weekend was aware in July 2008

on infants who fell ill after consuming Sanlu milk powder, but could not report

Even after initial news broke, Southern Weekend reporting suppressed by authorities

Reports of Sanlu media strategy with Baidu- pay to censor negative search results

Media ordered to follow Xinhua Caijing, foreign media role

Case Study: Tainted Milk Altogether nearly 300,000 infants

affected, only 3 confirmed deaths

Case Study: Vaccines Wang Keqin, pioneering investigative

reporter, then with China Economic Times

March 2010: breaks story on faulty vaccines in Shanxi that caused death of 4 children, injured many others

Story removed from CET site, but still circulated on portals for some time

Case Study: PX ProtestsSpread of news through microblog

--> efforts to control information on microblog

Images harder to controlXinhua releases early English-

language report, but no ChineseBroad coverage, largely peaceful

protest, swift resolution

Case Study: PX Protests Spread of news through microblog -->

efforts to control information on microblog

Images harder to control Xinhua releases early English-language

report, but no Chinese Broad coverage, largely peaceful

protest, swift resolution https://plus.google.com/photos/1078063

99768906113634/albums/5640536706258776673