Japanese media paints a distorted picture of China, according to Michael Anti, a prominent Chinese journalist, blogger and campaigner for press freedom in China.
Speaking at an international media event on Japanese and Chinese nationalism in Tokyo yesterday, the Nanjing native outlined what he sees as the ‘structural fallacy’ of Japanese reporting on China, slamming its failure to tap into Twitter and other Web 2.0 forums to reflect the reality of events in China for a Japanese audience.
Anti came to prominence in 2005, when Microsoft hauled down his blog in 2005 over an article he wrote about the Beijing government firing senior editors at the Beijing News. Currently ranked as one of China’s most popular Tweeters, Anti is a columnist for the Southern Metropolis Daily (a Guangdong-based newspaper known for its often provocative stance). He’s coming towards the end of a two-month stint as a visiting scholar at the Tokyo University.
In terms of specifics, Anti cited Japan’s misrepresentation of anti-Japanese protests in the Middle Kingdom following the now infamous collision between a Chinese trawler and Japan Coast Guard vessels in disputed waters in September.
September 18 is remembered in China as the day that the Japanese invaded (it’s the anniversary of the 1931 Manchurian Incident). While protests on this day received blanket media coverage in Japan, Anti saw these reports as exaggerated.
‘There were only about 20 protesters outside the Japanese Embassy (in Beijing),’ he said, adding wryly: ‘There were about 100 reporters present.’
Anti went on to complain about Japanese media coverage of the aftermath of the huge blaze in a block of flats in Shanghai on November 15 that claimed 58 lives.
‘Following the fire, 100,000 Shanghainese demonstrated against the government’s handling of the case,’ Anti said. ‘This was the first demonstration of this scale since Tiananmen Square. It was the top story for many Western media, but received virtually no coverage on Japanese TV—only on TBS.’
Anti said there are five types of media in China: official media; market-orientated media; international media; media such as twitter and blogs; and domestically censored BBS (bulletin board systems). He griped that Japanese coverage only focuses on official and international media, saying: ‘No one picks up on what is being written on Twitter and blogs, and so they miss the whole picture…If you ignore (the) intent (of the people) in China, you ignore the whole China.’
Anti also offered a potential way of narrowing misconceptions between the two nations, saying that Japanese media should offer Chinese language coverage.
Anti also offered reassurance to those worried about China’s growing clout. Although noting that Chinese nationalism stems from a sense of victimhood—something he says is still instilled through the education system—he suggested that the dawning reality of China’s changing status among Chinese could help put a brake on this.
‘How can China now feel like a victim when it’s No. 2 in the world…(So) you shouldn't be too scared of China.'
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mareo2
‘How can China now feel like a victim when it’s No. 2 in the world…(So) you shouldn’t be too scared of China.’
Sorry pal, but take 4 innocent japanese citizens as bairgaining chips and an embargo of strategic resources for free a drunken captain is not what we call inoffensive actions from a civilized country. Remember the East Asia Community idea? Well, no one in Japan talk about that anymore, like the idea of asian fraternity. Just as dead as the sunshine policy in South Korea. We no longer see the PRC as a trade partner that can be trusted.
Frank
Bend over backwards is what we call inoffensive actions.
John Chan
The first out of gate is an anti-China blogger lashing out at China, it proves no matter what China or Chinese says, it is lie. Constructive criticism is merely disguise to undermine China.
I admire Michael Anti’s courage and honesty to speak out for China, but I would not be surprised one day Michael might end up in a jail somewhere in China in the process of pressing for China’s press freedom. What he is doing is for the good of this world and peace for the mankind. Once the bigotry, prejudice and egoism are removed from humanity, people can sit down and talk the differences and difficulties out instead of using trickery and atrocity to settle issues.
If the West tries to promote Michael Anti to the status of Liu Xiaobo, then it proves that the West has no interest in democracy and human rights in China, the West is interested in undermine China with moral authority (fake) only.
NateM
Some outright looniness this fellow apparently believes:
1. Foreign media should cover Chinese twitter.
2. Japanese media should give the same prominence to local Chinese news as it does to international news directly concerning Japan.
3. The larger anti-Japan protests that occurred across the country are irrelevant, as are the 2005 protests and the potential for escalation.
China has few bigger friends in the region than Japan and its docile media at this point.
Sascha
“If the West tries to promote Michael Anti to the status of Liu Xiaobo, then it proves that the West has no interest in democracy and human rights in China”
@John Did you actually mean if the West DOES NOT promote him …? because that makes more sense. If you meant what you wrote in the above comment, please elaborate.
I agree with Anti, w/out a thorough look at ALL media as well as closer links with the people you are writing about, you can never hope to gain anything even remotely close to the truth.
John Chan
@MateM, as demonstrated in this site, there is serious miscommunication and misunderstanding in this world between nations. The root of the dialogue obstacles is the cold war mindset in the West as expressed in your comment. Michael Anti merely pointed out the blind spot and hoped things can be changed for the better of the world.
pro
100,000 people paid tributes to the dead of the Shanghai fire. I wouldn’t exactly call that as a protest. If that was a protest, what did the protesters say? What were their demands? When you’re ignorant, you just anti everything.