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Zhao Death Shows Limits of China's Media Freedom
(http://today.reuters.com/news/newsA...SP4402_RTRIDST_0_LIFESTYLE-MEDIA-CHINA-DC.XML)
(http://today.reuters.com/news/newsA...SP4402_RTRIDST_0_LIFESTYLE-MEDIA-CHINA-DC.XML)
BEIJING (Reuters) - A glance at the newspapers and glossy magazines jostling for space on China's news stands shows how much the media has changed since the Communist country embraced market reforms more than 20 years ago.
But the death of ousted leader Zhao Ziyang, who sympathized with student demonstrators in the 1989 Tiananmen movement, serves as a reminder that though the titles may have come a long way since Mao's days, the content is still strictly controlled.
Newspapers now report previously taboo subjects such as industrial accidents and social problems, but Zhao's death last week, which authorities feared might spark dissent, was buried on back pages and left off broadcasts altogether.
The guidelines on such a sensitive subject were clear.
But journalists say navigating the boundaries of what is allowed and when is tougher than ever, with the leadership of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao bent on consolidating control while trying to cultivate a gentler, more modern image....
But the death of ousted leader Zhao Ziyang, who sympathized with student demonstrators in the 1989 Tiananmen movement, serves as a reminder that though the titles may have come a long way since Mao's days, the content is still strictly controlled.
Newspapers now report previously taboo subjects such as industrial accidents and social problems, but Zhao's death last week, which authorities feared might spark dissent, was buried on back pages and left off broadcasts altogether.
The guidelines on such a sensitive subject were clear.
But journalists say navigating the boundaries of what is allowed and when is tougher than ever, with the leadership of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao bent on consolidating control while trying to cultivate a gentler, more modern image....