I recently did one term of a one year journalism course and post below one of my essays in feature writing on China. With David Cameron rightly raising the issue of human rights in China on his visit yesterday and today - we are a democracy - I do wonder at the difference in the press whereby the Chinese put out a story and that is what it is and no further report is done. Contrasting our press putting out a story under the Blair administration of "spin". Who then is democratic or at all.
Lesley McDade
01.10.09
Outcome 1 Assessment – Feature : China
A feature article is an article of interest which may raise an important issue in society and is written in such a way that you want to read it due to the hooks and that you enjoy reading it because it is well written and delivers the information you were intended to receive in a manner that assists you to garner the message and the information. Feature articles can be about anything so long as they are in a language that you as the reader understand and can be small or long. I compared a broadsheet (compact) and a tabloid article in relation to China, both articles reiterate the message TRADE with China – the broadsheet is relative to Iran which is also topical and basically notifies we are not engaging in attack Iran rhetoric, we trade with Iran for a reason which we prefer. The other article pretends to focus on militarism but does not actually do this but relates to TRADE. Both articles therefore send out the key message that China seeks the world to acknowledge and accept we do not assist on military prowess which is for show, we do so only in relation to TRADE. Analysis of the articles content below:
China has become topical this week. A small article appeared in the Scotland on Sunday by Tania Branigan on 27.09.09 concerning diplomatic relations with Iran and the huge topic of trade. The article was very small, but very informative – the Chinese do “TRADE” not war and prefer DIPLOMACY as a solution over sanctions. There are supportive statements to hammer this point home UN Security Council, Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said on Friday “Personally, I don’t like the word punishment”, thereby reinforcing the nature of the article peaceful trade and the reality issue : “China is the world’s second largest consumer of crude oil while Iran has the world’s second largest reserves …” You would not want to take the bread off your plate now would you.
As they say, when China sleeps let her sleep …
In the Daily Mail 01.10.09 the story has become a screaming headline “Marching to World Domination” with supporting militarised in unison “Might” photograph. The underheading reads “An Army of 2.25 million. Chilling Imperial ambitions … and so on. So you would expect this eye grabbing headline to be an article that you may not survive the night and would be lucky to be awake tomorrow morning. Not so, the article is all about TRADE - it even manages to inform about goods that have the label “MADE IN CHINA” thereby establishing the whitty essence with a hint of knowledge and that the actual headlines are actually only meant to make you read the article – which of course you did, all of it!
You may, like me, have got the message after the first half column and was expecting the outcome at the end of the article to be … “the next invasion is due at Christmas”.
The whitty essence of the article drew out some “only Britishisms”:
The Chinese were “peasants” in fact it clearly elaborates with the euphemism “When the Communists seized control in 1949, China was a poverty-stricken basket case, … the mind boggles given they are fundamentally known for their inherent “wisdom” – Confusionism : the person who moves a mountain starts by taking away the little stones. The mountain I suspect is trade fuelled by diplomacy as needs must – oil.
Interesting information is available – the Chinese are the largest number of mobile phone users and broadband consumers – but there is a lack of statistical data to back this statement up. Even more interesting is China is the biggest acquirer of foreign public debt – why is the obvious exclamation? So we can buy more of that trade I suppose. It even notifies that China owns America not quite … only a “hold over” the American economy at $800 billion of US Treasury securities – which clearly makes you think – and our situation is?
We are then informed that these so called Chinese peasants … have for CENTURIES led the world economically, culturally and technologically: thus reiterating the whittyness of the article to the picture to the headlines. It even, whittly refers to China as “The Middle Kingdom” the worlds most cohesive and enduring society, WHICH PIONEERED not just the compass, gunpowder and printing, but porcelain, paperback books and a medieval postal service that would put today’s Royal Mail to shame.
As this point you just want to buy your ticket on the next flight to China to see it for real, which is then scoped into the article on a “multi-culturism and ethnic diversity” journey across China all highlighting TRADE issues. Any issue of need of military might is not with us but potentially anyone who will NOT trade with them or can compete on better terms. They are now in India and Africa – which raises the issue how good is our TRADE relations at the moment with the rest of the world – should we be talking to China - nicely.
Any militarism is occurring by the arms sale by China to Africa and Robert Mugabe received £200m in Chinese military aid – well if you can’t sell Zimbabween’s Christmas decorations …
The final wit sees a huge capital letter “Meanwhile” and in anticipation of the “M” signifying might, it informs a non sequitur … “China itself is well on the way to becoming one of the world’s dominant military powers. Already its standing army alone has more than 2.25 million men”. Because of Confusionism the Chinese only want to do peace because that means they can trade which means reciprocity and food for their people. Any military prowess is for photographs only. The Chinese know they do not need guns to be world dominant! They are not “becoming”, they “are”. You just would not want to pick a fight to find out – how, why, what, when, where. This is reinforced by the Statement by Defence Minister Liang Guanglie who BRAGGED apparently that the parade would “DISPLAY THE IMAGE of a military force, a civilised force, a victorious force” whilst laughing all the way to the bank … Christmas is profitable this year …!
Whew, when you read on … “Whenever Western observers voice disquiet about this terrifying military build-up, the Chinese INSIST that they have no hostile ambitions, or merely put the complaints down to racist scaremongering – you just would not want to cancel Christmas.
An interesting statistic follows the oppression, the suppression, the repression – by 2010, the Government predicts, trade between Britain and China will be worth more than £35 billion to the UK and if it all goes wrong families in Birmingham will suffer just as much as the Chinese. Makes you think.
The reality check – naively swallowing the propaganda of an authoritarian regime machine – you are just so glad you read this article, hence follows the warning for future generations make sure you buy into the “Made in China” TRADE on the premis of reciprocity. The only area of improvement in China today is “environmentalism”, somehow they got that bit wrong.
Both articles one short and one long, reiterate the important global message TRADE WITH CHINA there is a deafening silence in relation to Christmas, but both articles let you know that militarism is not the big issue concerning China – let her sleep whilst you go shopping. There are no buttons to push concerning Iran, America, Japan, India, Philippines, Tibet, Taiwan, Africa unless that is you don’t trade!
End
Sunday Times article 27.09.09 by Tania Branigan “China reluctant to force new sanctions”
Daily Mail article 01.10.09 by Dominic Sandbrook “Marching to World Domination”
On a human rights issue is Di Yimin still alive - she was last reported on LegalWeek as being on death row. Di Yimin was the front of the Chinese Ponzi schemes, remember America (Madoff) and India (Raza) also brought down global banking. Perhaps Sir Philip Hampton, Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Peter Sands, Chief Executive of Standard Chartered, should raise more civilised issues of the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, not least because RBS people were involved in the ponzi schemes (whilst educated and trained) and banking crisis rather than using their trip to hijack UK banking further.
