Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2023. x, 176 pp. US$70.00, cloth; US$25.00, paper.ISBN 9780472075959.
As a journalist with two decades of experience, I have witnessed firsthand the evolution of Chinese journalism, particularly during its so-called golden age in the 2010s. Emily H. C. Chua’s The Currency of Truth stands out to me with its intricate portrayal of the everyday life within a Chinese newsroom. The book delves deeply into the complex identities of Chinese journalists who strive to unearth newsworthy stories and maintain journalistic integrity, all while navigating the treacherous waters of political and commercial pressures that threaten their survival.
Chinese journalism has been the subject of numerous studies, particularly those focused on the newsroom during the era of commercialization. This period offered journalists and media outlets opportunities to practice journalism with a degree of autonomy. Most studies have relied on methodologies such as interviews, content analysis, or case studies. Chua’s work, however, distinguishes itself through its ethnographic approach, offering detailed insights into the daily workings of a newsroom.
The book vividly recounts the coverage of China’s lianghui, “two sessions” (50), evoking memories of my own experiences reporting on the event from 1997 to 2015. It was during these times that I witnessed Chinese journalists balance their professional duties with the quest to produce stories that could make a significant impact. Chua concludes her book by utilizing the term jianghu to describe the survival environment in China’s communication landscape. She writes:
What the jianghu imaginary helps to highlight in this context is the fact that China’s news sector is not a single organization with a unified chain of command, but a vast and dense network of far more diverse and particular actors and relationships. This is a world of newsmakers, businesspeople, and party officials who do not only do what their formal organizations would have them do, but whose conduct is also shaped by considerations that arise from the particular situations and arrangements that they find themselves in. (142)
This analogy aptly captures the complexity of the media ecosystem in China since the commercialization of news media in the 1990s. Various players, including newsmakers, businesspeople, and party officials, influence the newsroom, driven by market forces and individual circumstances.
However, I would argue that an important player is missing from this analysis: the readers. Although Chua’s case study does not heavily weigh the influence of readers in news production, their role is critical for the success of media outlets, particularly during the period of commercialization. Outlets like Southern Weekly thrived by catering to the demands of their readership, earning a formidable reputation in the process. The outlet in Chua’s case study struggles to achieve a similar level of market expansion and influence, primarily due to its mediocre news production and leadership style.
In chapter 4, Chua distinguishes between the qualities that make news stories durable and those that do not. Through my own experiences, I have seen that these qualities reflect a diversity of newsroom cultures. Where some editors may discourage journalists from expanding their networks and prioritizing viewership, influential news media in China, like the one I worked for, often do the opposite. They prioritize setting the agenda and focus on the significance of the story, regardless of its potential “blandness” (74).
Renowned news media outlets in China found success by eschewing the temptation of chasing high traffic and readership statistics, choosing instead to concentrate on the inherent newsworthiness of their content. Chua’s book, however, indicates that numerous publications yielded to the allure of commercial gains, thus offering a broad perspective on the inner workings of China’s commercialized news sector. This focus on profit over substance is a key reason why, when the government intensified its grip on the media, readers began to drift away. They discovered that the content they sought—a diversity of narratives and critical perspectives—was supplanted by uniform government propaganda. Consequently, the once-vibrant news sector began to wane, as the public’s trust and interest dissipated in the face of a homogenized media landscape.
In the current climate, the jianghu of media seems to have vanished, with stricter controls over news media in place. The era of marketization has ended, and the Chinese Communist Party has restructured the media to exercise more centralized control, diminishing market influences. Political considerations now precede revenue concerns, leading to the shutdown of several marketized newspapers.
Chua’s book touches on these significant changes by including additional interviews from the Xi era. The value of this study lies in its difficulty; conducting fieldwork and engaging with active journalists and management has become increasingly challenging. Thus, The Currency of Truth provides a unique historical account that aids in understanding the shifts within China’s news sector and the evolving role of journalists.
Luwei Rose Luqiu
Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong