"While this apparent loosening of the government's iron-fisted press policy is a move in the right direction, it should not be mistaken for an opening to the sort of press freedoms that exist under a liberal democracy, or even as the beginning of a greater role for the Chinese press as a governmental watchdog, " Liu said. The Communist Party is happy to use the press as a partner in its current "anti-corruption" campaign, but if history is any guide, it will not tolerate a press that is free to expose corruption and abuses within its own ranks, let alone question its authority to rule.
It is indeed ironic that Li Peng, the man who signed the martial law decree that resulted in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, and a long-time opponent of press freedom, should be one to announce that the media will be given greater freedom to criticize the mistakes and faults of the Party. Li Peng belongs to the Party's most conservative faction, which has always been opposed to press freedom.
"He spared no effort in the campaign to oust the former General Secretaries Hu Yaoban (1980-87), who actually encouraged press freedoms, and Zhao Ziyan (1987-89), whose "grave mistakes" included adopting a hands-off policy towards the media's coverage of the Tiananmen democracy protest. The fact that Li Peng has chosen to herald what he considers greater press freedom does not mean that he has changed his stance from conservative to liberal, rather it is a sign that he believes a slightly "freer" press will help the Party to maintain order in an increasingly chaotic society," Liu said.
Local officials, once the country's most vehement opponents of a free press, have also begun to loosen their grip on the press. Facing rampant corruption and a soaring crime, they have no choice but to resort to mass media to help bring things under control. Li Peng, among others, has praised the popular TV program Focus, produced by China Central Television, which highlights corruption, scandals and crime. Foeus is so popular, in fact, that other provincial TV stations have begun producing similar "if not more sensational programs." The provinces use these programs not only to cover crime and corruption, but also to combat it."
During the 1989 Tiananmen democracy movement, Zhao Ziyang decided that all media would be permitted to report on the movement objectively (reportedly with the direct consent of Deng Xiaoping). This was a major breakthrough, for in the past the official papers would have blocked any outside reports and condemned the movements as "counter-revolutionary." This breakthrough was short-lived, however, lasting only six days (from May 10 to May 19) before marshal law was implemented. But its impact was tremendous; It helped the democracy movement to expand from a few major urban areas to cities and towns nationwide.
Moreover, if the current political system remains unchanged, it is difficult to see how any law would truly guarantee the freedom and safety of China's journalists.
