Popularizing Party Journalism in China in the Age of Social Media: The Case of Xinhua News Agency

Xin, X. 2018. Popularizing Party Journalism in China in the Age of Social Media: The Case of Xinhua News Agency. Global Media and China. 3 (1), pp. 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059436418768331

TitlePopularizing Party Journalism in China in the Age of Social Media: The Case of Xinhua News Agency
AuthorsXin, X.
Abstract

The phenomenon of the “popularization” of journalism has become widespread in the process of media marketization, globalization and digitalization. This phenomenon has been studied mostly in the Anglo-American context. This article instead draws attention to China, where the tendency toward popularizing (party) journalism is also occurring but taking a rather different form. It focuses on the case of Xinhua News Agency—the pioneer as well as the most representative case of traditional party journalism in the country. The article considers to what extent Xinhua’s online media content concerning the ruling party since 1949—the Communist Party of China—has been popularized both in terms of content and style. The changes to online media content made by Xinhua are indicative of the extent to which it is possible to combine the status of a state-owned central news organization with a new journalistic orientation that seeks to make the messages from and about the party more appealing to technology-savvy and entertainment-driven audiences in the new media environment in mainland China.

KeywordsPopular journalism, Party journalism, Chinese journalism, Xinhua News Agency, journalism transformations
JournalGlobal Media and China
Journal citation3 (1), pp. 3-17
ISSN2059-4364
Year2018
PublisherSage
Publisher's version
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/2059436418768331
Publication dates
Published online12 Apr 2018
Published29 Jun 2018

Related outputs

Xinhua News Agency
Xin, X. 2022. Xinhua News Agency. in: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Journalism Thousand Oaks, CA Sage. pp. 1781-1784

(Re-)Popularizing Party Journalism in China: A Qualitative Study of Xinhua News Agency's Online Media Content
Xin, X. 2022. (Re-)Popularizing Party Journalism in China: A Qualitative Study of Xinhua News Agency's Online Media Content. in: Zhang, S.I. (ed.) Digital Journalism in China London Routledge. pp. 36-47

Soft Power to Whom? A Critical Analysis of the Publicity Film “CPC (Communist Party of China) is With You Along the Way” in Relation to China’s Soft Power Project
Xin, X. 2020. Soft Power to Whom? A Critical Analysis of the Publicity Film “CPC (Communist Party of China) is With You Along the Way” in Relation to China’s Soft Power Project. tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique. Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society. 18 (1), pp. 286-303. https://doi.org/10.31269/triplec.v18i1.1087

New Poles in Uncertain Times?
Xin, X. 2018. New Poles in Uncertain Times? in: Culture Report EUNIC Yearbook 2018, "Cultures of We": Europe and the Search for a New Narrative Göttingen, Germany Steidl Verlag. pp. 48-53

Financialisation of News in China in the Age of the Internet: The Case of Xinhuanet
Xin, X. 2018. Financialisation of News in China in the Age of the Internet: The Case of Xinhuanet. Media, Culture and Society. 40 (7), pp. 1039-1054. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443717745121

How the market is changing China's news: the case of Xinhua news agency
Xin, X. 2012. How the market is changing China's news: the case of Xinhua news agency. Lanham, US Lexington Books.

Web 2.0, grassroots journalism and social justice in China
Xin, X. 2011. Web 2.0, grassroots journalism and social justice in China. in: Meikle, G. and Redden, G. (ed.) News online: transformation and continuity New York Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 178-194

Chindia’s challenge to global communication: a perspective from China
Xin, X. 2010. Chindia’s challenge to global communication: a perspective from China. Global Media and Communication. 6 (3), pp. 296-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742766510384968

Public diplomacy games: a comparative study of American and Japanese responses to the interplay of nationalism, ideology and Chinese soft power strategies around the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Xin, X. and Finlay, C.J. 2010. Public diplomacy games: a comparative study of American and Japanese responses to the interplay of nationalism, ideology and Chinese soft power strategies around the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics. 13 (5), pp. 876-900. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430431003651115

The impact of "citizen journalism" on Chinese media and society
Xin, X. 2010. The impact of "citizen journalism" on Chinese media and society. Journalism Practice. 4 (3), pp. 333-344. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512781003642931

Xinhua News Agency in the context of the 'crisis' of news agencies
Xin, X. 2010. Xinhua News Agency in the context of the 'crisis' of news agencies. in: Boyd-Barrett, O. (ed.) News agencies in the turbulent era of the Internet Barcelona Generalitat de Catalunya. pp. 283-303

Xinhua News Agency in Africa
Xin, X. 2009. Xinhua News Agency in Africa. Journal of African Media Studies. 1 (3), pp. 363-377. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams.1.3.363/1

Structural Change journalism practice: Xinhua News Agency in the early 2000s
Xin, X. 2008. Structural Change journalism practice: Xinhua News Agency in the early 2000s. Journalism Practice. 2 (1), pp. 46-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512780701768501

Research into Chinese media organisations. The case of Xinhua Shanghai bureau
Xin, X. 2008. Research into Chinese media organisations. The case of Xinhua Shanghai bureau. Javnost / The Public. 15 (1), pp. 39-56.

Xinhua news agency and globalization: negotiating between the global, the local and the national
Xin, X. 2007. Xinhua news agency and globalization: negotiating between the global, the local and the national. in: Boyd-Barrett, O. (ed.) Communications media, globalization, and empire Eastleigh, UK John Libbey & Company. pp. 111-128

How to do fieldwork?
Xin, X. 2007. How to do fieldwork? in: Carpentier, N., Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt, P., Nordenstreng, K., Hartmann, M., Vihalemm, P., Cammaerts, B. and Nieminen, H. (ed.) Media technologies and democracy in an enlarged Europe Tartu University of Tartu Press. pp. 295-306

News probe: what does it tell us about Chinese journalism today?
de Burgh, H. and Xin, X. 2006. News probe: what does it tell us about Chinese journalism today? Medien Journal. 30 (2-3), pp. 52-66.

A quarter century of creative chaos: Xinhua News Agency 1980-2005
Xin, X. 2006. A quarter century of creative chaos: Xinhua News Agency 1980-2005. PhD thesis University of Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design

A developing market in news: Xinhua News Agency and Chinese newspapers
Xin, X. 2006. A developing market in news: Xinhua News Agency and Chinese newspapers. Media, Culture & Society. 28 (1), pp. 45-66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443706059285

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/q4vzq/popularizing-party-journalism-in-china-in-the-age-of-social-media-the-case-of-xinhua-news-agency


Share this

Usage statistics

242 total views
189 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.