时间：2022-10-30 07:41:01
In the West， the media is often referred to as“the fourth estate，” serving as a watchdog for the three branches of government. In recent years， the media （including social media） in China also appear to be gradually taking up the same mantle. Recent scandals that have led to much public backlash， including housing registration fraud cases involving government officials and State-owned enterprise executives， as well as the various sex scandals involving senior city officials in Chongqing， were all exposed by the media. Many claim that China is entering a period of improved transparency.
We must not overstate the media’s current level of influence in the fight against corruption in China. Despite the apparent power the media has exercized in recent scandals， all of these first came to light through social media. Traditional media remain constrained， and tend to report on a corrupt politician only when an official investigation is already underway， particularly when high-level officials are involved. In exposing scandals， it takes great courage， and sometimes great sacrifice， on the part of a journalist or media outlet to genuinely expose government misdeeds. In the latest case， Zhu Ruifeng， a freelance journalist who exposed the Chongqing sex sandals， was harassed by Chongqing police in broad daylight at his home in Beijing.
This perhaps explains why the media’s supervision in China is “cross-regional，” meaning that media outlets only report on scandals in regions other than their own， mostly for fear of retribution. The result is that national-level leaders tend to be ex- empt from supervision， as Chinese journalists must carefully consider the sizeable risks they face when reporting on those in authority.
Although China’s constitution promises the right to freedom of speech and of the press， in reality there are effectively no laws or regulations to protect the media. The only one in existence is in a government regulation on the Disclosure of Government Information， a clause of which stipulates that those obstructing supervision by the media must be held accountable for their actions. This clause has never been invoked.
There have long been calls to enact a press law to safeguard the media’s rights to report， criticize and supervise， as well as its right to information. However， in the current political climate， many are concerned that such a law may end up constraining the media， rather than guaranteeing freedom of speech.
Given that China’s new leadership has recently launched a new wave of anti-corruption measures， it must also take effective steps to ensure that the media can effectively supervise the government. As there are few channels through which the public may voice their opinions， the government must realize that the media plays an indispensible role in conveying public opinion to the government.
On February 6， Xi Jinping， the new leader of China’s Communist Party， told cadres that the Party must “tolerate sharp criticism” from the outside. It is a good sign that the new leadership is at least aware of the problem， but it will take more than words to safeguard the media’s rights.