nelson
02-04-2009, 09:19 AM
An incident in Britain where a man threw his shoes at China's premier - imitating the infamous shoe throwing in Iraq - was aired on China state-censored news on Tuesday.
Do the Chinese think the Internet has beaten their media censorship? That's what international media observers are saying, but I'm not so sure.
From the perspective of the common Chinese citizen, who has no alternative to state-sponsored propaganda (i.e. who has no Internet, or has censored Internet), this is not a freedom of the press issue. Seeing this incident means witnessing a gesture of disrespect issued by a westerner toward their leadership and their country. (The shoe-thrower was not identified, but taking place in Britain, the implication and assumption will be he is western.) In the world of media propaganda, little incidents like this one are wielded in order to instill grudges.
China State TV Broadcasts Man Throwing Shoe at Wen
http://www.newsmax.com/international/as_china_britain_shoe/2009/02/03/177850.html
Do the Chinese think the Internet has beaten their media censorship? That's what international media observers are saying, but I'm not so sure.
From the perspective of the common Chinese citizen, who has no alternative to state-sponsored propaganda (i.e. who has no Internet, or has censored Internet), this is not a freedom of the press issue. Seeing this incident means witnessing a gesture of disrespect issued by a westerner toward their leadership and their country. (The shoe-thrower was not identified, but taking place in Britain, the implication and assumption will be he is western.) In the world of media propaganda, little incidents like this one are wielded in order to instill grudges.
China State TV Broadcasts Man Throwing Shoe at Wen
http://www.newsmax.com/international/as_china_britain_shoe/2009/02/03/177850.html