The September 11 issue of Qiushi Journal, a bi-weekly magazine published by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, included an article that discussed how state-controlled mainstream media can enhance their ability to manipulate public opinion. The background of the discussion is that unexpected social emergency situations are popping up more frequently across the country. The author offered his ideas on three areas for improvement: (1) The media need to improve their ability to predict upcoming potential problems. (2) The media need to improve coordination among news agencies and coordination with the involved government branches. (3) In an emergency, the media should not only communicate the government’s opinion to the general public; whenever the people express opinions that can help ease the situation, they should reflect those opinions as well. The author expressed the belief that state-owned mainstream media should play a better role in guiding public opinion.
Source: Qiushi Journal, September 11, 2012
http://www.qstheory.cn/wz/cmyl/201209/t20120911_180742.htm