| When an authoritarian regime reforms the state media, how does it affect the ability of the state to manipulate public opinion? A number of authoritarian regimes have deregulated, commercialized, and partially privatized their domestic state media since the late 1970s. This dissertation studies the impact of newspaper reform on news content and public opinion in two Chinese cities. Interviews with Chinese media experts and content analysis show that media reform is associated with greater variation of news content, but institutional mechanisms of control keep diversity within narrow boundaries. Moreover, the state strategically de-politicizes issues where public opinion and the position of the government converge, because in those areas audiences pull media outlets into the desired direction. As a result, even strongly reformed media sources tend to publish news articles close to the governmental line.; At the same time, however, media reform makes a great difference to audiences. A quasi-experimental study reveals that Chinese urban citizens seek out commercialized newspapers that they perceive to be more distant from the official government line. Relying on survey data from Bejing and Chongqing this research demonstrates that readers are also more susceptible to news messages when newspapers are commercialized. If news content can be synchronized through alternative mechanisms of control, media reform is conducive to regime stability. |
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