More than Politics: Forces Affecting Media Freedom in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan

Abstract

This essay has compared difference in media freedom that journalists share in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and has discussed the reasons behind such a difference on three levels. Despite of the obvious political and economic forces on societal level, the author has also explored psychological forces on individual level and cultural forces on organizational level. As important as the political background is, it should not be used as a master key to solve every case regarding these regions. Thus, the author intends to call upon attention to forces on the other two levels as well, since the real battle is not just about breaking free from external political or economic forces, but also about breaking free from internal forces, about dealing with psychological and cultural forces leading them unconsciously every day. Also, this is a critical essay instead of an empirical quantitative study, so the discussions would largely remain theoretical. However, by pointing out the theoretical gap, the discussion may shed light upon directions of future empirical studies as further explorations.