Censorship holds back Chinese progress
Padraig Reidy says the longer Beijing holds onto its outdated curbs on free speech and the press, the harder it will be for China to truly modernise
World Press Freedom Day, celebrated today, was designated by the UN in 1993 to remind governments of their duty to uphold free speech and the free press, as outlined by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
China's own constitution states that its citizens "enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration". Note the use of the word "enjoy" - not even an aspiration; an actual assertion.
Does anyone believe this to be true? Increasingly, that seems unlikely. China's increasing dominance in global markets has brought it into the world. Globalisation requires advanced communication. Capitalism, too, requires accurate information, something a propagandistic press model cannot provide. Censorship is incompatible with progress towards a genuine advanced industrial economy.
Are cracks beginning to appear? Possibly. In January, international attention focused on the censorship of the Southern Weekly newspaper, after a censor was alleged to have changed the headline and content of an editorial without informing staff. The paper's staff went on strike, returning to work a week later after a "tacit" agreement with the authorities.
Writing on the incident for The New York Times, former Southern Weekly commentator Xiao Shu said: "The repression of journalistic professionalism is not merely a journalistic issue, but also signifies the government's assault on society in general, and has exceeded the limits of public tolerance."
Xiao is right. As the means of communication become more widespread thanks to the web, press freedom is no longer the preserve of professional journalists. Ordinary citizens feel increasingly angered by the curtailment of free speech.