The press is supposed to report news, not make it. But in the course of performing their role of facilitating a free flow of information and ideas, newspapers can become the news. Examples abound in democracies in which a free press is institutionalised. Some are good, such as The Washington Post's investigative reporting of the Watergate scandal that led to the downfall of former president Richard Nixon. Some are dubious, such as the recent publications by a Danish newspaper and others of cartoons considered blasphemous of the Prophet Mohammed.
Few newspapers, however, could have been in the headlines as much as the mainland press is now. This time the issue is the freedom of the press itself.
As our report today says, it has been a defining week for the Chinese media. It was marked by the sudden revival of the axed Bingdian Weekly supplement to the China Youth Daily - though not the reinstatement of its two most senior editors - and a flood of public criticism of the propaganda and censorship authorities. Former senior officials joined a public declaration of support for the weekly, and 13 leading intellectuals expressed concern about the curtailment of the basic right to freedom of speech in an open letter to President Hu Jintao .
Bingdian Weekly was closed after publishing a controversial article questioning the official interpretation of historical events. This capped a series of crackdowns that mainland journalists describe as the worst censorship in recent years, including the sacking of the chief editor of the outspoken and popular Beijing News.
China's economic reforms have led to an explosion of profit-driven media, more attuned to the concerns of its readers and increasingly willing to test the boundaries of what is permissible with provocative reporting and comment.
The number of publications has increased more than 11-fold to about 2,000. Many are competing aggressively for readers and advertising revenue with a mix of information, infotainment and breaking news. These are healthy developments. The free flow of ideas and information is essential to a healthy market economy and the fulfilment of China's economic and social potential.