China Scholars and the Media: Improving an Awkward, Important Relationship

Abstract

Public interest in China, as reflected in the level of media attention, is burgeoning in the West and elsewhere in the world. This interest is driven by China's increasing presence and importance in the lives of people around the world; and for the same reason is likely to continue growing. Since media discourses are the main way in which Western publics receive information about China, contributing to media reports and helping journalists reach deeper understandings is an important task and opportunity for academics whose specialist knowledge of China is often more nuanced than that of generalist China correspondents. Although developments in the two professions are demanding closer and more frequent interactions, many scholars are reluctant to engage. This is partly due to structural disincentives within the academy, and partly due to obstacles in the scholar–media relationship. Focusing on the latter, the objective of this article is to illuminate how China scholars and journalists currently interact, and to identify means to increasing their efficiency and sustainability.

摘要

随着中国在世界各地群众生活中的地位与重要性的逐步上升, 西方及各地公众对中国的兴趣不断增长, 主要体现在媒体对中国的关注程度上。媒体话语是西方公众获取中国资讯的主要方式, 但一概而论的错误观点往往迅速成为对中国的偏见。撰写中国报道的记者大多不是中国学专家, 而是掌握一般知识的通才, 所以中国学研究学者的深度见解将对记者和公众大有裨益。学者与记者两大职业的发展亦要求二者进行密切互动, 但许多学者仍然十分被动, 一方面源于学术体制的约束, 另一方面源于二者互动关系中存在的一些障碍。本文着眼于后者, 旨在阐明中国学研究学者与记者互动的现状, 力图找出能增进高效、可持续性互动关系的方式。