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Covering the Environment and Health

Covering the Environment and Health. JMSC0034: Covering China Fall 2011 Ms. Sky Canaves. Issues of China’s Growth. Resource scarcity: energy, food, minerals, water Pollution: air, water, food Health: overcrowding, workers’ conditions, food and drug safety

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Covering the Environment and Health

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  1. Covering the Environment and Health JMSC0034: Covering China Fall 2011 Ms. Sky Canaves

  2. Issues of China’s Growth • Resource scarcity: energy, food, minerals, water • Pollution: air, water, food • Health: overcrowding, workers’ conditions, food and drug safety • Role of lax legal enforcement, corruption

  3. Global implications • Geo-politics of water: Brahma Chellany • No substitute for water • Limitations on imports • Relatively dry region with high population growth • Water-intensive agriculture, especially for rising meat consumption • Over-damming of rivers

  4. Global implications • China-Burma dam dispute • Chinese company running dam project along Irrawaddy river in Burma • Almost all electricity generated by dam would have been purchased by China • But protests over relocations and environmental impact lead to halt • China calls on Burmese government to respect the company’s legal rights and interests

  5. Global implications

  6. Global implications • China-Burma dam dispute • Reporting on dispute: not all mention Chinese role apart from construction • More backstory: fighting since June near dam site between Burmese army and independence forces • Dam perceived as way for army to take control over region • Thousands of refugees, unknown number dead

  7. Reporting on Issues • Which issues are most pressing? • How does media report and frame the issues? • What are the impacts of media attention? • What is the role of public opinion?

  8. Media, Environment and Health Issues in China • Shows interaction between government, media and public • Expansion of media outlets creates new opportunities for different types of reporting • Communications and advocacy role of environmental civil society organizations • Public mobilization around new technologies

  9. Media, Environment and Health Issues in China • Protests over environmental and health issues, while possibly sensitive, not as threatening to Party dominance as other issues • Party is outwardly aligned with goals of environmental sustainability and good health of citizens • But contradictions over growth vs. environment, health, safety • What happens when corruption and politics are implicated in crises and scandals?

  10. Case Study: AIDS in Henan

  11. Case Study: AIDS in Henan • Blood selling practice encouraged by local officials • Awareness of problems in 1995-1996 • But local obstructionism killed the story • Interference with doctors and testing • Lack of transparency in reporting illnesses

  12. Case Study: AIDS in Henan • Jan. 2000: Zhang Jicheng reports in HuaxiDushibao (Sichuan province) • Chinese media and academic reports • Concerns raised with Beijing • May 2011: Henan bans media coverage of AIDS after Dahe Daily report • Aug. 2000: New York Times coverage begins to draw global attention

  13. Case Study: AIDS in Henan • Gradual progress on story by journalists from variety of independent-leaning and foreign media, experts • Compare extensive coverage in Chinese outlets with relatively brief but powerful reporting from foreign sources

  14. Case Study: AIDS in Henan • Calculated risks v. repercussions • Cross-regional reporting • “Shouldering the door”: enough people apply limited force • “Boxing under the table”: working within Party restrictions • “Jiao Junior”: wait until someone else speaks out first, then follow suit • “Taking half a step”: Don’t jump the gun

  15. Case Study: SARS • Limited reporting prior to appearance in Hong Kong in Feb. 2003 • By April 10, Ministry of Health had disclosed only 22 cases • April 20: acknowledgement of a serious problem, 339 cases counted, health minister and Beijing mayor sacked • April 27: official tally nears 3,000 • Chinese media criticism of handling

  16. Case Study: SARS • Jiang Yanyong: the “SARS” doctor • Whistleblower sent letter to CCTV4 and Phoenix News • Contradicted official count of only 12 cases in Beijing. Jiang said one hospital alone had seen 60 cases, with seven deaths • Letter leaked to foreign media

  17. Case Study: SARS • Caijing magazine reporting revealed spread of SARS in Beijing

  18. Case Study: SARS • Aftermath • Lessons for transparency? • January 2004: Swift retribution for Southern Metropolis Daily after re-emergence of SARS reported • Fall 2009: Slow reporting on H1N1 deaths • Limited power of WHO

  19. Case Study: Songhua River

  20. Case Study: Songhua River • Nov. 13, 2005: Chemical plant explosion triggers toxic spill in northeast China • Early Chinese media reports mentioned the plant explosion but not the spill -- until water supplies to major city of Harbin had to be cut • Initial government response was that water supplies suspended for routine maintenance – misinformation fuels rumors and panic

  21. Case Study: Songhua River • CCTV broke the story of the spill , no longer a local issue • Environmental minister XieZhenhua resigned right away, but appointed NDRC vice-minister a year later, China’s Copenhagen climate change negotiator • 5-year, 13 billion RMB plan to clean Songhua river announced, subsequently extended to 10-years, 26 billion RMB

  22. Collection of stories on environmental and health impacts of China’s rapid economic growth WSJ: lead poisoning, water pollution, white dolphin, illegal mining, among other stories on social costs of growth, won Pulitzer NYT: a year later sole focus on health and environment Another NYT package, “A Toxic Pipeline,” that touched on China, also won Pulitzer Case Study: Packages

  23. How do foreign media represent China’s environmental and health issues? How are the stories framed? What are common themes? How do foreign media decide which stories to cover? Case Study: Packages

  24. WSJ: http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2007-International-Reporting NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/08/26/world/asia/choking_on_growth.html NYT: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/series/toxicpipeline/index.html Case Study: Packages

  25. Case Study: Three Gorges Dam

  26. Reporting in China: Dai Qing Yangtze! Yangtze!(是否该进行长江三峡水坝的工程) (1989) The River Dragon Has Come! (水龍來了!)(1996) Reporter as activist: Dai has been vocal opponent of dam, jailed after 1989 Case Study: Three Gorges Dam

  27. Reporting in English: WSJ (2007) Focus on erosion, landslides, silt build-up, pollution , structural dangers Some prior coverage by Chinese media, but WSJ report acknowledged by government official weeks later Follow up story on revelation of additional relocation plans affecting 2 million Case Study: Three Gorges Dam

  28. Case Study: Tainted Milk • Sanlu: company at center of scandal, based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province • 43% owned by Fonterra, New Zealand Dairy giant • On Sept. 5, Fonterra had informed NZ government, which then turned to authorities in Beijing

  29. Case Study: Tainted Milk • Unscrupulous producers added chemical melamine to watered-down milk to increase appearance of protein content • Melamine is toxic, causing kidney failure in severe cases • Xinhua reported unusual outbreak of kindey stones in Gansu province on Sept. 10, 2008 • Local papers followed up the next day

  30. Southern Weekend was aware in July 2008 on infants who fell ill after consuming Sanlu milk powder, but could not report Even after initial news broke, Southern Weekend reporting suppressed by authorities Reports of Sanlu media strategy with Baidu- pay to censor negative search results Media ordered to follow Xinhua Caijing, foreign media role Case Study: Tainted Milk

  31. Case Study: Tainted Milk • Altogether nearly 300,000 infants affected, only 3 confirmed deaths

  32. Wang Keqin, pioneering investigative reporter, then with China Economic Times March 2010: breaks story on faulty vaccines in Shanxi that caused death of 4 children, injured many others Story removed from CET site, but still circulated on portals for some time Case Study: Vaccines

  33. Spread of news through microblog --> efforts to control information on microblog Images harder to control Xinhua releases early English-language report, but no Chinese Broad coverage, largely peaceful protest, swift resolution Case Study: PX Protests

  34. Spread of news through microblog --> efforts to control information on microblog Images harder to control Xinhua releases early English-language report, but no Chinese Broad coverage, largely peaceful protest, swift resolution https://plus.google.com/photos/107806399768906113634/albums/5640536706258776673 Case Study: PX Protests

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