Stories China's media could not write
When journalists at China's national broadcaster CCTV log on, one of the first things that pops up on screen is a notice about what not to report. These notices are often short and seldom say who has authorized them, but they all contain strict instructions about how to report a story. Journalists were recently warned off a health scandal, told how to report the death of Benazir Bhutto and had to steer clear of a Hollywood film story.
Despite the obstacles, many Chinese journalists are keen to push the boundaries of what is allowed. "The media is becoming savvy about which stories are completely taboo and which stories have some wriggle room, even for a short time."
The media was not always so strictly controlled in China. Zhan Jiang, a journalism professor at Beijing's China Youth University for Political Science, says there was more freedom to report political issues in the 1980s. But that relatively relaxed period came to an abrupt end in 1989 with the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protesters.
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