BEIJING — Chinese state media will be getting more propaganda now that the Communist Party has announced it will be in direct control of broadcasters and the regulators of everything from movies and TV to books and radio programs. Analysts say having direct oversight of the media will help the party hammer home its message domestically and also work to improve its image internationally. That could leave ordinary Chinese with “little choice” but to become active consumers of propaganda, Zweig said. “And that is largely the point that comes through here — the tighter, more centralized control of media and ideology,” Bandurski said. Yet those efforts face an uphill battle in competing with well-established global media outlets such as CNN and the BBC, while much of the reporting on China smacks of party propaganda in contrast to reports about the country by foreign media outlets.

Source: National Post March 22, 2018 06:49 UTC