Mass Media And Public Policy In Contemporary China - The Status Of The Transformation Era And Trends,

In modern country, mass media is a critical medi-factor between the public opinion and public policy. In western countries, government, parties and interest groups use mass media continually to promulgate the policy, to push their political creeds, or to claim interests. In the sense, mass media is indispensable of democracy. Thus, the mode of interaction between the public opinion, the mass media and public policy is a very important subject in political communication research.In china 1990s, as economy reform going on and the speedup of society transformation, the mass media played a more important role in the process of politics, while the research about this topic is little. As the data-searching revealed, systematic study on the role of mass media in the process of public policy is none yet. This thesis is the first one that attempts to research the role and function of mass media in the process of public policy in modern china systematically. As a research about the relations of media and polity in non-western country, the study will contribute to the theorization of political communication. In addition, this research is helpful to polity reform and journalism reform, which are compulsory in china today.The basic frame of this thesis is made of transverse analysis and longitudinal analysis.The transverse analysis adopts the general theoretical frame of public policy process, which considers public policy as a tri-step movement, there are agenda-setting, aggregation of interests, and policy implementation. The first goal of this thesis is to understand the function and the role of the mass media in these different steps, and the interaction between the media and other social factors. Section1. In modern china, the factors that capable to push the agenda-setting of policy include chief politician, crisis, public opinion and mass media. Thus, the mass media not only push the agenda through its investigating-reports, but also through other three participant factors in different interaction modes. In these modes, mass media play roles as organizer, reporter, public forum and the agenda-builder. In 1990s, mass media have been more important in the process of policy agenda-setting than ever, which can be testified by the increasing of investigating news and the crisis news. But, on the other hand, traditional regulatory mechanism in journalism prevents the further influence of mass media. A more reasonable way of regulation should be developed, which will protect the right of media. Section2. In 1990s, mass media have been more active in the public expression of interests, while they not only reform their contents, as the public anticipant programs increasing, but also they become important agent of some interests groups such as some weak groups. In addition, the interaction between public intellectual, media and public opinion changed the public policy sometimes. But on the other hand, mass media are rooted in the dual-structure of interests, while the one was administrative interests, the other is marketing interests. This mode of interests influences the attitude and act of mass media in the process of public interests expression profoundly, Section3. In china, to propagandize the way of china, the guideline and the policy of CPC and government is the main work of mass media. In this action, mass media plays the role as organ mouthpiece, which is the typical embodiment of the institution and tradition of Chinese journalism. Typical propaganda, hotspot leading and policy mobilization are in common use.Section4.In the longitudinal, this thesis attempts to analysis three factors which had influenced the mass media and its communication practice. These three factors are internet, market economy and transformation of society, while they exert similar influence which necessitates more open, more nomothetic journalism. In the last, the thesis suggested that although transformation of mass media from role as organ mouthpiece to role as social institution had already been a fact in the practice, but it...