China's New Media Landscape

Susan Shirk, Benjamin Liebman, Guobin Yang, and Orville Schell will discuss the social and political implications of new media in China.

Thirty years ago, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) made a fateful decision: to allow newspapers, magazines, television, and radio stations to compete in the marketplace instead of being financed exclusively by the government. The political and social implications of that decision are still unfolding as the Chinese government, media, and public adapt to the new information environment. Meanwhile, the Internet has revolutionized popular expression in China, enabling users to organize, protest, and influence public opinion in unprecedented ways.

Susan Shirk: Director of the University of California’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation

Benjamin Liebman: Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Chinese Legal Studies at Columbia Law School

Guobin Yang: Associate Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures at Barnard College

Orville Schell(Moderator): Arthur Ross Director of the Center on US-China Relations, Asia Society

Book signing to follow.

Changing Media, Changing China (Shirk, ed.)

The Power of the Internet in China: Citizen Activism Online (Yang)