Constitution of People's Republic of China: Chapter 2, Article 35: Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.
However, how much freedom do people have in media, such as internet, newspapers, magazines, TV, books in China? Just have a look at some affairs in the following.
On 18 June, 2007, when Xiong Peiyun's article "How is it that there have been no resignations over the illegal kiln affair?" was published on Southern Metropolis Daily, thousands of people commented on this issue through the internet. Comments had accumulated to more than 60 papers, though the editor had to removed some “sensitive or extreme words” according to Chinese law. But just after a few hours all comments had been deleted.
Before the 17th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, where the next generation of the party's leadership will be unveiled, the government tightened controls over domestic media content. On August 19, Five of the country's largest newspapers --the People's Daily, Guangming Daily, Economic Daily, People's Liberation Army Daily and the Beijing Daily published almost identical front pages layouts (see http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2007/08/one_editors_job_for_four_newspapers.php) to improve the political image of Chinese priminister. What's more, during the 17th congress, many websites are blocked by government, and Chinese citizens are not allowed to get visa to go abroard.
As far as I know, because there were some comments on the China policy, the MSN Lifespace written by my friend were deleted.
“The Chinese government seems to see a free media as an enemy rather than a watchdog of public safety and social stability.” said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.
People don’t have guaranteed freedom on the internet, and journalists are vulnerable to the regulations of strict media censorship conducted by government. ''Media is the ears, the eyes, the voices of the masses.'' The human rights to be informed with various news and opinions should be protected. Only in this way, people can obtain information of the happenings of the world and keep up with the pace of changes. Moreover, media freedom could help people prevent misunderstandings and eliminate discrepancies.
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