Night Waves - 18/06/2008

As part of Radio 3's Focus on China, Isabel Hilton reports from Beijing and talks to journalists, editors, academics, lawyers and commentators about the health and stability of the media in China today. Where there were once only three newspapers and a few magazines, all toeing the party line, today there is a proliferation of newspapers, magazines and television stations. But in this vibrant media scene how freely can the media operate? What sort of stories can it easily report on and what others remain problematic? Does the Government still pull the strings and how do China's increasingly professional journalists work within the system? What are the main stimulants for change in the media and, as an example of how well a story is reported, how was the recent earthquake treated by the Chinese press?