Lowy Institute

Fan Yang and Fergus Ryan on Chinese-language media in Australia

Oct 20, 2021

Fan Yang and Fergus Ryan discuss Chinese-language media in Australia, exploring issues like self-censorship, government monitoring, and media independence. They delve into the role of WeChat in challenging traditional media norms and the challenges of maintaining objectivity in Chinese language media outlets.

41:23

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Episode guests

Fergus Ryan

Fan Yang

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Chinese language media in Australia tend to support Australian government policy while editorializing to soften criticism of China due to financial constraints.

Challenges faced by Chinese language media in Australia include self-censorship pressures to avoid upsetting the Chinese Communist Party, resulting in biased news coverage.

Deep dives

Fan Yang's Research on Chinese Language Media in Australia

Fan Yang's paper delves into the production and representation of news stories covering bilateral tensions between Australia and China in 2020 within Chinese language media outlets in Australia. She analyzed over 500 articles from three outlets focusing on trade tensions and Zoli Jens' controversial tweet. One significant finding was that Chinese language media in Australia tend to support Australian government policy over Chinese government policy but editorialize to soften criticism of China, attributed to financial and resource constraints. The outlets primarily translate and reproduce content from dominant Australian English media, leading to editorialization and sensationalization for increased readership on platforms like WeChat.

Intro

2min

Chinese-language Media in Australia: Challenges and Findings

8min

Alignment and Independence in Chinese Language Media in Australia

9min

Analysis of self-censorship and media orientation in Chinese-language media in Australia

4min

The Role of WeChat Official Accounts in the Chinese Media Landscape in Australia

9min

Maintaining Objectivity in Chinese Language Media in Australia

9min

In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, Research Fellow Jennifer Hsu talks with Fan Yang and Fergus Ryan about Fan’s recent paper for the Lowy Institute, titled “Translating Tensions: Chinese-Language Media in Australia”. The paper is one of the first to provide insight into the published content of Chinese-language media organisations in Australia as it relates to Australia-China relations.

Fan Yang is a PhD candidate at the School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University. She researches Chinese-language media on WeChat with a focus on human-technology mediation. Her doctoral thesis is entitled “News Manufactories on WeChat: The Word Business, Censorship and Pseudo-Journalism”. She has published in various outlets including Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, Policy Forum, Media International Australia,The Conversation, and others.

Fergus Ryan is a Senior Analyst with Australia Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Centre. He has worked in media, communications and marketing roles in China and Australia for close to a decade and has published widely on Chinese tech, entertainment and media industries. Most recently, Fergus was a journalist for The Australian.

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