Media Coverage of the China-Tibet Talks

Media Coverage of the China-Tibet Talks

For the past several decades, China has been trying to take over Tibet. During this

conflict, the leaders of these two nations have been communicating with each other. Overall, talks have not been very successful, for conflicts still exist. The coverage of their communications by the media has been mixed. The level of objectivity and quality of content are not consistent. For detailed and unbiased information about China-Tibet talks, long articles from focused writers are better than reports from magazines and newspapers, which cover a wide range of news.

While covering ongoing communications between China and Tibet, reporters for Newsweek in the U.S. are supposed to be as objective as possible. However, by reading the

articles and reports that Newsweek present on this topic, it appears that the work is not as objective and complete as it should be. In one issue of the publication, a lengthy report about China took up a fair amount of space. One section, by Melinda Liu, relates to talks between China and Tibet, and how the U.S. acts as an intermediary contact. At first, the article talks about President Jiang Zemin and his attempts to make good relations with Tibet. The article begins, “ When he visited the United States last year, President Jiang Zemin dismayed some of his own supporters with his clumsy handling of the Tibet issue” (Liu 39). Later on in the introduction, Liu says, “ He compared the Chinese Army’s ‘emancipation’ of the serfs to Abraham Lincoln's abolition of slavery” (39). The rest of the article continues to bring up facts that build up against Jiang. Liu goes on to say, “ As for Tibet, Jiang claims to have had ‘good relations’ with the late

Panchen Lama” (39). N...

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...bias introduced since all the facts are laid out for them. Future coverage of the conflict will most likely continue in the same fashion it has been going on over the decades. Incorrect analyses will continue to occur. Nevertheless, by looking at all the reports that have been written, it appears that it will take a long time for Tibet and China to resolve their issues.

Works Cited

Grunfeld, A. Tom. The Making of Modern Tibet. London: Zed Books, 1987.

Karmel, Solomon M. “ Ethnic Tension and the Struggle for Order: China’s Policies in Tibet.”

Pacific Affairs 68 (1995): 485-508. Online. JSTOR. 21 March 2005.

Liu, Melinda. “ Talking Past Each Other.” Newsweek 29 Jun. 1998: 39.

Mirsky, Jonathan. “ Beijing rules the mountains.” The Spectator 281 (1998): 24-25. Online. ProQuest. 21 March 2005.

Snyder, Lisa. “ China Ties.” Newsweek 20 Jul. 1998: 17.