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文茜的世界周報 2009年1月18日 chunk 3
打造中國版"CNN"中國花450億
擴大全球影響力(圖)
綜合新聞
中國人想發出自己的聲音，搶奪話語權無可厚非。但誠如這篇文章所說，中國也應該思考現有的媒體不受國際觀眾的信任和喜愛的原因。在備受指責的“媒體環境”下，中國媒體中也不乏觀點獨立客觀的佼佼者，如南方周末和《財經》雜志，可惜的是電視媒體還未曾出現。新華社電視台能不能走出新路，還要拭目以待。 （欒樹）
問題不在于缺乏電視頻道或對外媒體，而是在于，缺乏做得好的新聞媒體。如果新華社的新電視頻道還是按照中央電視台現有的對外頻道那樣運作，還是由同樣一群人來做決策，這將是注定要失敗的。
金融危機影響的範圍和深度還在擴大中，當世界上許多媒體都在裁減員工，節約開支時，中國大陸的一些媒體卻在忙著招聘外國專家，尤其是英語國家的新聞從業者，此舉旨在從中國的中央政府最近增加的宣傳預算中分到一部分。而中國政府增加宣傳預算，目的就是擴大中國的全球影響力。
改革開放下的傳媒落後
中南海博客（zhongnanhaiblog）網站刊登加拿大人凱恩‧麥卡錫（Cam MacMurchy）一篇題為“中國花450億元擴大媒體的全球影響力”（China spends 45 billion to extend media's global reach）的文章。文章中，凱恩‧麥卡錫寫道，“外國人看中國，與中國人自己看中國之間，有著一個很大的差距。
這是人民大學新聞學院院長喻國明教授根據他的觀察作出的一個結論，這也是我們在相當長的一段時間里一直討論的一個論點。在西藏的抗議和火炬接力的爭議中，許多問題的產生，都是由于中國人的驚訝，他們驚訝于海外居然會對這些問題有如此強烈的反應，他們也驚訝于西方社會對中國官方觀點的詛咒。
確實，中國做到了成功地“改革開放”三十多年，但它卻遠遠沒有能做到成功地將中國的觀點解釋給國際社會，和說服外國人接受。
Cam在媒體領域有極豐富的工作經驗。2000年他畢業于加拿大的哥倫比亞理工大學廣播傳媒專業。2004年，來到北京工作，在中國國際廣播電台和北京人民廣播電台的外語廣播Radio 774擔任編輯、主播和顧問職位。也是CCTV9頻道的顧問兼編輯。(資料圖片)
南華早報1月13日刊登兩篇文章，報導和評論中國政府對中國的對外傳播媒體投資450億元人民幣一事。第一篇，題目是“北京用450億元推動媒體面向全球”，說的是，那些能夠拿出有價值的項目來提高中國國際形象的媒體機構，將可以獲得政府提供的資金。第二篇題為“媒體為說英語者提供大量工作機會”（Big offers for English speakers in media jobs），說的是北京中央級的一些媒體正在密鑼緊鼓地招聘能用英語工作的專業人員，包括編輯和記者。
中央媒體爭相“對外擴張”
報導說，目前，中央電視台、新華社和人民日報都在密鑼緊鼓地展開咨詢，和邀請專家開會，集思廣益，起草建議和計劃。
“新華社的計劃是擴大其海外分社，從大約100個擴大到186個，”有關消息人士稱，這意味著它將在全球的幾乎每一個國家都開設分社。
另一名消息人士說，新華社計劃創建一個以亞洲為基礎的24小時播出的電視台，向全球觀眾播出國際新聞。
另一個不同的消息來源說︰“我被邀請參加了兩次會議，會議的主題是就建立這樣一個電視台集思廣益，它將不僅對我國廣播新聞，而且是對世界各地。”
媒體消息來源說，新華社是雄心勃勃的，志在建立一個像卡塔爾半島電視台網絡那樣的“有影響力的和可信賴的”電視台。
“新華社電視台，將彷效半島電視台，在政治和時事議題上，享有比鳳凰衛視還要大的言論自由，”一位消息靈通人士稱。
同時，人民日報下屬的、以民族主義論調聞名的每日小報－《環球時報》，已決定今年5月推出英文版，成為繼《中國日報》之後的中國第二份國有的英文報紙，該報已經開始招募英語編輯和記者。
中央電視台已宣布推出今年開辦阿拉伯語和俄語頻道的計劃，目前正積極擴大其海外記者隊伍，並招募外語人才。
HONG KONG - "There is a big gap between China's image among foreign people and its idea of itself."
Renmin University Journalism Dean Yu Guoming is bang on in his observation, an argument we have been making here for quite some time. Many of the problems which arose during the Tibetan protests and torch relay controversy came from Chinese surprise that people overseas could have such strong feelings on these subjects -- and feelings that were anathema to China's official view. China was able to "reform and open" over thirty years, but it's been far less successful in convincing those abroad of its global views and context.
The South China Morning Post (all articles behind a paywall) has run two stories today about Beijing's RMB 45 billion investment in Chinese media organizations which target global audiences. The first, "Beijing in 45b yuan global media drive", says the cash will be available to agencies which come up with worthwhile projects to enhance their global image:
Management at CCTV, Xinhua and the People's Daily have been busy meeting consultants, inviting experts to brainstorming sessions and drafting proposals.
"Xinhua has a plan to expand its overseas bureaus from about 100 to 186," the source said, suggesting it would have bases in virtually every country in the world.
Another media source said Xinhua planned to create an Asia-based 24-hour television station to broadcast global news to an international audience.
"I was invited twice for brainstorming meetings on the establishment of such a television station, which would not just broadcast news on China, but on everywhere in the world," a different source said.
The media sources said Xinhua was ambitious about building an "influential and reliable" station like the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera network.
"With Al-Jazeera as the model, the station would enjoy greater freedom of speech from the central authorities than Phoenix TV on political and current events," one source said.
Meanwhile, the Global Times, a daily tabloid owned by the People's Daily and known for its nationalistic tone, has decided to launch an English edition in May, becoming the second national English newspaper, after China Daily. The paper has begun recruiting English-speaking editors and journalists.
CCTV has announced plans to launch Arabic and Russian channels this year, aggressively expanding its team of overseas reporters and recruiting foreign-language professionals.
The plus side for media people in China is a plethora of new jobs, according to the second article, "Big offers for English speakers in media jobs":
In a speech last month, Li Yuanchao , chief of the party's Organisation Department, encouraged recruitment of overseas talent with a "free ideological mindset".
Ms Zhang said the speech effectively lifted policy restrictions on attracting foreign experts, boosting CCTV's efforts to attract staff.
Meanwhile, the Global Times, a daily tabloid owned by the People's Daily, has announced a plan to hire an executive editor, a deputy executive editor and 60 reporters with English expertise to help put out its English edition, to be launched in May.
Recruitment advertisements for at least 10 native English speakers as "consultants" have been widely circulated on various news outlets and websites.
Many English reporters in other Beijing-based media organisations said they had received "very competitive salary package" offers from the Global Times as the head-hunting campaign becomes more urgent, with some saying apartments were being offered as well as high salaries.
"I was told that an editor could be paid 300,000 yuan (HK$341,000) a year, with a one-off offer of an apartment," one reporter said.
China Newsweek, a China News Service-owned weekly popular among young Chinese people, is speeding up preparation for an English-language edition to be published in the US.
A Beijing source said that the weekly would be backed by 200 million yuan in capital from CNS.
As with Communism itself, this media plan is good in theory. There's no doubt that there is a gaping need for more Chinese viewpoints in the great discussions of the day. If Qatar can have an internationally-influential television channel, surely China can too. And there's no reason why the New York Times, the Guardian, BBC, CNN et al should have a disproportionate sway on what we see and hear.
China's point of view and context for that point of view are sadly lacking, as I'm reminded of each time I'm asked to guest on a foreign radio station. But before we start considering an international Xinhua TV channel, what happened to CCTV 9? Isn't CCTV 9 supposed to present China's view to the world? Is there a point in lauching a second one without fixing the first?
The problem isn't lack of TV channels or media outlets that present China's case to foreigners, it's the lack of any media outlets that present China's case well. If Xinhua's new TV endeavor is run in the same manner CCTV is, with the same group of life-long communist party members in bad suits calling the shots, it will be doomed to failure. In fact, I'd go one step further: any mainland Chinese run media outlet will be taken less seriously as long as general media controls are in place.
Which brings me to my second point: the credibility of the media in China. China could open a hundred news organizations and blanket the world with China's point of view, but it would be greeted with just as much suspicion as it is now because China, despite all of its advancements, remains a one-party state with absolute control over all domestic media. This investment in more coverage may help to a degree: sure, we all know that China Daily is a government mouthpiece, but we read it because we get to know what the government thinks and it provides a decent (I'm being generous) roundup of what's going on in the country. A new Xinhua TV Channel or Global Times newspaper may provide the same. But at the end of the day, it's a lot of money being thrown at the symptom. China can't buy itself credibility. Not even for 45 billion.
To be successful, in my humble opinion, the new international TV station or newspaper must be given free reign to cover what it wants. It needs to be run on a system of merit and good journalism, not longevity, adherence to party principles, or loyalty to China (that sounds outdated, but that's how media organizations are still run in mainland China). If it selectively avoids sensitive subjects (for example, not running a story on the June 4 vigil in Hong Kong each year), perhaps people can look past it if the rest of the journalism is quality. But one lead story on Hu Jintao's win-win visit to Lesotho, which adheres to the One China Policy, and, well.... you get the picture.
