Criticism in News and Its Effects on Authoritarian Duration in China

Abstract

This study explains the varying levels of criticism in news coverage in China and tests the news effects on public opinion. It proposes a revision to the traditional censorship paradigm--fractured censorship system. It finds that in authoritarian China, censorship on the news media is not monolithic. Nor is it entirely decided by ideology. In fact, censorship is a locus where negotiations among political and business powers occur. Specifically, the potentially diverging interests between the central and local governments, the strong commercial interests of news organizations, and the aspirations of certain journalists may constitute fractures in the censorship system that allow sporadic criticism on local governments and officials. Fractured censorship does not mean fault lines. The fundamental characteristic of China's censorship system remains to be its swift and effective intervention over news content. While fractured censorship helps us understand the news production process, once critical news is published or broadcasted, how does such news affect public opinion, if at all? What are the implications of such fractured censorship for authoritarian duration in China? Through two field experiments conducted in east and central China, this study finds that critical news does not necessarily undermine public evaluation of the regime. In fact, critical news may blow off the steam of public anger over contentious social and political issues that emerged during China's economic and political development process, which helps consolidate, rather than undermine, the authoritarian rule.