And, when it comes to a
manipulated freedom-of-the-press corps....
[W]hen representatives of Western governments come to China, we are
seeing a media conference model which appears even less accountable than
the sessions provided by the Chinese Communist Party.
The offering during the recent visit by United States Secretary of State John Kerry was a classic example of this phenomenon....
[I]t is not hard for China's leaders to think: "Well, there you go. Why
should we behave any differently to anyone else? What's more, we
understand the need to control the press. The difference is that we
don't pretend that we're not doing it."
How we used to snicker at the communist model that included a Department of Agitation and Propaganda. Anyone snickering now has got another snicker coming.
Nobody wants to be ambushed by journalists. I suppose because the nobody's they ambush have things to hide.
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