Journalism as a lucrative business

Sorry for anybody who jumps to this post thinking that I've finally solved the problem for them. I am talking here about the "you pay, I write about you (or not, if you prefer it that way)" culture which pervades much of the media and PR world in China. I finger both, as they feed off one another and one tends to blame the other. Those with the money to start with (rarely the journos in my experience) must shoulder a heavy portion of the blame.

Two interesting pieces on this today: the Silicon Hutong blog runs through the process by which companies get sucked into an ugly cycle of bribery for good coverage. This quotes a Washington Post piece which, in my opinion, may be getting a bit far-fetched in laying the blame for all this at the door of the Communist Party:

In many ways, blackmail journalism grew naturally out of a system in which Communist Party censors control the news rigorously, barring reports that could be seen as unfavorable to the party or contrary to the government's political goals. If the ruling party distorts the news for political reasons, blackmailing reporters have concluded, why wouldn't they do it themselves for financial reasons?

In addition, local party officials, long used to manipulating information, have been complicit in the payoff system when it suits their needs. In the everybody-does-it atmosphere, even non-reporters have found ways to get in on the take by posing as journalists.

Update: China Law Blog has picked up on this too with some interesting perspectives.