Media Commercialization and Authoritarian Rule in China

In most liberal democracies commercialized media is taken for granted, but in many authoritarian regimes the introduction of market forces in the media represents a radical break from the past with uncertain political and social implications. In Media Commercialization and Authoritarian Rule in China, Daniela Stockmann argues that the consequences of media marketization depend on the institutional design of the state. In one-party regimes such as China, market-based media promote regime stability rather than destabilizing authoritarianism or bringing about democracy. By analyzing the Chinese media, Stockmann ties trends of market liberalism in China to other authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and the post-Soviet region. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Chinese journalists and propaganda officials as well as more than 2000 newspaper articles, experiments and public opinion data sets, this book links censorship among journalists with patterns of media consumption and the media's effects on public opinion. Disputes two common assumptions: that market liberalization of media brings about democracy and that censorship by the Chinese state is to the disadvantage of the United States and other foreign countries Provides a highly detailed account of the Chinese media while also tying broader trends to other authoritarian states in the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and the post-Soviet region Relies on unique data from in-depth interviews with Chinese journalists and propaganda officials and content analysis of over 2000 newspaper articles, experiments and public opinion data sets