HANGZHOU, China, Dec. 7
It is an odd phenomenon in China that many authentic journalists -- those dedicated to real reporting -- cannot obtain a journalist's license while official, licensed journalists do not really report, but receive higher pay than the former.
Those in the first group are called "news workers," to be differentiated from the many official journalists. In reality, the latter may be seen as phony. They are always paid on time whether they write articles or not, and no matter what quality of work they produce. They tackle only those subjects assigned by the authorities and will not initiate independent investigations. In this way they face no risks in their work.
Chinese media have undergone a transformation in an attempt to align them with the market economy and make them profitable. This has contributed to the emergence of large numbers of news workers who are contracted by media.
Many news media ignore regulations under the country's Labor Law, offering no on-the-job injury insurance, for example. Many don't sign employment agreements. Moreover, they pay according to output. There are no less than 250,000 people who earn their living word by word. They make up more than half the official total of 550,000 journalists in the country.
While the official slogan "scientific outlook on development" is being promoted throughout the country, the ruling Chinese Communist Party and those who share its vested interests are accelerating the privatization of power. Journalists with licenses issued by the Press and Publications Administration are kept busy working on soft, buttery stories and those with the red seal of approval.
Meanwhile, throngs of news workers, alongside unlicensed "barefoot lawyers," are taking to the Internet and alerting the public to this process of power privatization by revealing the corruption in official circles.
Some such stories have offended powerful figures, putting the journalists' jobs and even their lives at risk. Even so, when one defender of the people's rights is knocked down, another one rises up to carry on the fight.
Xu Xiang, dubbed "China's celebrity journalist" by Internet users, or "netizens," is one example. Xu was detained for 10 days and accused of deceiving and misleading readers after he wrote a commentary criticizing the Party secretary of Changsha city for paying to cover up someone's wrongdoing. Xu had an employment agreement with the Democracy and Law News, but not a proper journalist's license. Therefore he was labeled a fake journalist by the government and the court, damaging his reputation.
Lan Chengzhang from the China Trade News was another example. In January, Lan was beaten to death by the owner of an illegal coal mine in Datong city, Shanxi province, where he went to investigate. Lan was later labeled a fake reporter without a legal license, and accused of trying to extort money from the mine owner by threatening to expose his activities.
The owner had reportedly asked a media professional how to deal with the reporter, and was allegedly told: If he is a real reporter, treat him well and give him money; if he is fake, then settle it with violence. After receiving this advice from a media insider, the owner confirmed that Lan had no legal journalist's card -- which cost him his life.
Three days after Lan's death, the News and Publications Bureau of Datong city issued a notice of a crackdown on illegal journalists, newspapers and magazines. "Those reporters who do not hold a legal journalist ID issued by the News and Publications Administration are fake," the notice declared.
If this is to be the criterion allowing journalists to work from now on, there is no telling how many more "news workers" like Xu Xiang and Lan Chengzhang will encounter misfortune. It puts 250,000 "illegal reporters" at risk.
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(Zan Aizong is a former journalist, currently an active Internet writer and columnist focusing on media, journalism and freedom of speech in China. This article is edited and translated from the Chinese by UPI Asia Online; the original can be found at www.ncn.org. ©Copyright Zan Aizong.)
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