Lexington Books
Pages: 238
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-0-7391-8987-0 • Hardback • December 2013 • $128.00 • (£98.00)
978-0-7391-8988-7 • eBook • December 2013 • $121.50 • (£94.00)
Marina Svensson is associate professor at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University. Her major publications include the monograph Debating Human Rights in China: A Conceptual and Political History and the co-edited volume Making Law Work: Implementation of Lawin China.
Elin Sæther is postdoctoral research fellow in human geography at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo. Her work on Chinese media has been published in the China aktuell-Journal of Current Chinese Affairs.
Zhi’an Zhang is associate professor in the School of Communication and Design, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou. He has published several works in Chinese on investigative journalism, including Journalists’ Professionalism: The Professional Awareness and Reporting Strategies of In- Depth Journalists and In-Depth Reporting: Interviews and Classical Cases of In-Depth Reporting.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Agency, Autonomy and Voice among Chinese Investigative Journalists: Rethinking the Role of Journalism, Marina Svensson, Elin Sæther, and Zhi’an Zhang
Part I: Mapping Investigative Journalism: Voices and Demographics
Chapter 2: Speaking for the Weak? Perspectives on Voice Relating to Investigative Journalism in China, Elin Sæther
Chapter 3: The Identities and Demographics of Investigative Journalists in China: Findings from a survey, Fei Shen and Zhi’an Zhang
Part II: Socialisation Processes: Values, Identities and Structures
Chapter 4: Chinese Journalism Students: Balancing competing values, Laura Dombernowsky
Chapter 5: Between Advocacy and Objectivity: New role models among investigative journalists, Hongyi Bai
Chapter 6: Gendering Investigative Journalism: Norms and practices inside and outside the newsroom, Marina Svensson and Haiyan Wang
Part III: Agency, Autonomy and Strategies: Relations to State, Society and Businesses
Chapter 7: Chinese Investigative Journalists’ Coping Tactics in a Restrictive Media Environment, Maria Repnikova
Chapter 8: Self-censorship in News Production: Findings from reports on the ‘toxic milk powder’ scandal, Zhi’an Zhang
Chapter 9: Reporting on Law and Justice: Investigative journalists and the legal system, Marina Svensson
Part IV: Geographical Scales and Variations: Place and Media Cultures
Chapter 10: The Development of Investigative Reporting and Journalistic Professionalism in Southern Weekend, Li-Fung Cho
Chapter 11: Local Investigative Journalism: Understanding the Background, Context and Trajectories of Investigative Journalism in Dahe Daily and Southern Metropolis Daily, Jingrong Tong
Investigative journalists form a very small but highly interesting subgroup amongst journalists in China. The study of this group can provide information not only about journalism but also about the limits and liberties which critical groups and networks have in an authoritarian state like China. Investigative journalists are therefore often mentioned when discussing journalism and critical debate in China, but so far it has been a challenge to find extensive and recent information on the size and individual variation within this group. The value of this edited volume is that it brings together a wealth of new, solid information on investigative journalists, mainly based on empirical work carried out by scholars both within and outside of China. . . .As indicated by the title, the book focuses on the values, experiences and ideas of investigative journalists themselves rather than on an analysis of their journalistic production. This does not only make the book a fascinating and entertaining read, it also leads to surprising insights in the tensions between what journalists want to achieve and what they can actually achieve in present-day China. . . .The book is clearly the work of people who are aware of the multilayered nature of Chinese society. It describes the complex interactions between journalists and the subjects of their investigation, their colleagues, their audiences, the media they work for, commercial entities and local, regional and national government bodies. Jingrong Tong, in her informative chapter on local investigative journalism, shows which regional and local conditions play a role in the flowering of investigative journalism in certain regions rather than others.
— China Information
Updated and insightful analyses of the politics and culture of investigative journalism in China, which provide a robust thermometer for assessing the trajectory of media practices---especially the prospect for the logjam of press control to be broken in a Communist-capitalist media system.
— Chin-Chuan Lee, City University of Hong Kong
This volume considerably expands our knowledge of investigative journalism and its practitioners in China, with original empirical work that sheds light on reporters' education and socialization, newsroom practices and strategies, journalists’ aspirations and frustrations, and a variety of other topics. Of particular note is the focus on illuminating regional and local variations along with national patterns and trends.
— Judy Polumbaum, University of Iowa