Undersøgende journalistik i Kina kræver politisk flair, modige redaktører og akkuratesse. Men der findes undersøgende journalister i landet. Det skriver den danske journalist Jakob Elkjær, som har besøgt undersøgende journalister i Kina, på International Media Supports hjemmeside.
I’m in a restaurant in Beijing accompanied by six Chinese investigative journalists who are openly sharing their experiences of how to go about producing quality investigative journalism in China. I’m in Beijing on behalf of International Media Support to make a presentation about online investigative journalism.
Only recently I was still unaware that Chinese journalists carried out in-depth investigative journalism on sensitive topics such as on the behaviour of a police officer’s son, who thinks he is above the law when it comes to murder; about a sudden wave of suicides in a number of foreign-owned factories; about a poor migrant worker who froze to death underneath a bridge; about corruption and the mafia; and about people ousted from their homes despite court rulings in their favour to make way for the enormous economic development in China.
UKLART HVOR GRÆNSEN GÅR
Censorship is strong, but the journalists explain to me that some of their critical stories do slip through the iron curtain.
The limits as to what you can and cannot write as a journalist are not clearlt defined and for this reason the publication of investigative stories requires political flair and courageous editors, as well as journalistic accuracy, so as not to provide the authorities with an excuse to forcibly relocate or imprison people.
The limits of what is tolerated are constantly changing from region to region, from publication to publication. At the same time, however, the journalists are well aware of which topics are taboos. Topics like the massacre in Tiananmen Square, the Nobel Peace prize and criticism of China’s Communist leadership are not to be touched.
The number of investigative journalists in China is still limited in a country which is dominated by state-controlled media. My estimate would be total of around 100 investigative journalists in a country of 1.3 billion people.
