The Beijing-Tianjin Press And The 1923 Beijing Coup

In 1923,the President of the Republic of China,Li Yuanhong,was forced to leave Tianjin after being forced into the palace by the direct warlords.This political event is the Beijing coup,also known as the Guihai coup.The coup caused a great disturbance in the public opinion circle.Newspapers in Beijing and Tianjin also reported.Due to the complex background and relationship between the characters involved in the event,the newspapers were filled with relevant reports and analysis,forming a wave of news hotspots.Before the coup,the newspapers continued to report various new emergencies,such as the collapse of Zhang Shaozeng’s cabinet,the military and police’s claim for pay,the citizens’ group’s enclosure and the resignation of Feng Yuxiang and Wang Huaiqing,which gave the impression that the wind was getting tighter and tighter.The main writers of the newspapers generally felt that the coup was coming,but there was not enough information to predict when it would happen.After the incident on June 13,the news coverage of the coup in Beijing and Tianjin showed different characteristics.The Beijing Evening News reported on the same day because it was an evening newspaper,showing strong timeliness and weak accuracy.The next day,other newspapers,such as the Yishi News,the Morning News,the Beijing Evening News,the Beijing News,and the Ta Kung Pao,all reported at a large length,following the pace of the development of the situation and made comments.Newspapers have different standards of criticism when reporting.Newspapers with foreign backgrounds and protected by concessions have more intense criticism.The reports of various newspapers have basically maintained the heat for three days,but the attention time of Ta Kung Pao has obviously lasted.During the period of the Beiyang government,the relations between the press and the political circles in Beijing and Tianjin had two sides,one side was collusion,the other side was hostility.In this coup,on the one hand,some newspapers were suspected of being bribed,so they were merciful and even deliberately maintained the image of political figures;On the other hand,the direct department retaliated against the newspapers that did not accept the bribe.To sum up,the reports of the Beijing Tianjin press on the 1923 Beijing coup reflect the dual nature of the relationship between public opinion and politics during the Beiyang government period,as well as the complexity and subtlety of its presentation.