Can China's censored media ever gain global credibility?

The presence of the proverbial elephant in the room at the Asia Media Summit in Beijing last week was obvious.

The summit's theme: 'Creativity, Creditability, Rights and Responsibilities', was emblazoned throughout the Beijing Hotel's Golden Hall, as were fliers detailing panel discussions on media ethics, media freedom and 'democracy through the media'.

Underscoring the surrealism was the logo of the main sponsor and host of the two-day event, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) - the mainland's chief gagger of all things media, including the maligned internet.

It's not every week that you assemble the chief Communist propagandist and censor in the same room to discuss the merits of a free, democratic, credible media in front of a global audience.

The elephant in the room had grown two heads - hypocrisy and irony.

Liu Yunshan, director of the Publicity Department of the party's Central Committee, expounded with all the nuances of Zhongnanhai party-speak in his keynote speech, about the government's 'commitment to transparency and creditability, affinity and attraction' in the country's media.

Wang Taihua, the director of SARFT, took up his boss' theme. He told of the 'scientific development' of the country's modern media with 'Chinese characteristics' - a credible media to build 'a harmonious socialist society' and publicise Chinese culture around the world. The creditability of the mainland media internationally is something Beijing is deeply concerned about - and is spending plenty of money on.