There’s a lot to learn from China. Specifically, there’s a lot India could learn from China about media management.
That’s what a week of watching the global Chinese news channel, CGTN, during a trip to Singapore, has taught me. Learn from the Chinese how to insert your point of view into the news while maintaining a veneer of neutrality, under the cover of facts.
Most of all, learn what China thinks—and why. You will realise that in Beijing’s worldview, at least as seen on TV news, China barely thinks of India. This week, India made it to the headlines for the deluge in Delhi and the north.
CGTN broadcasts ‘world news’ in a professional and highly watchable way. It presents a global face to the world, with anchors and reporters who are American, British, European, Russian, Indian, African, and, of course, Chinese. It tells the news with a straight face, occasionally allowing a frown to crease its brow.
Meanwhile, CNA, Singapore, produces a first-rate international news channel. Both are well produced with no tamasha — it’s strictly business.
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CGTN, keeping it subtle
India likes to see itself as a global power but its news channels, including Doordarshan, display no interest in events beyond its boundaries – unless they are too important to be ignored or Prime Minister Narendra Modi is travelling abroad—as he is to France, this week. The honourable exception is WION, the only channel that goes ‘phoren’.
So, while Indian TV news channels were consumed by the violence in West Bengal during the recent panchayat election, CGTN reports on the NATO summit and its concerns about Ukraine joining the organisation—as told to us by a Chinese professor. It emphasises Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “disappointment” over
his membership bid, and then goes to reactions from Moscow and Beijing.
It spends the entire week headlining Japan’s proposed release of water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. From CGTN’s reporting, it’s clear China disapproved, despite assurances that the discharge is relatively safe.
However, the channel never actually shares any Chinese government viewpoint. Instead, it lets others do it for them: for instance, Japan’s move was criticised by way of New Zealand, Pacific Islands, and South Korean lawmakers protesting against Japan’s bid to “contaminate” the waters. It then hosted scientific experts who dispute the IAEA’s clearance to Japan’s plans – CGTN was careful to include an American expert who pooh-pooed all such fears.
Everything is done with a silver tongue. And there’s no shouting, AT ALL. It’s all very civilised.
In another report, CGTN said, “US endures toxic air quality from Canadian forest fires.” The footage is of a gloomy, cloudy Chicago with similar reports from Miami on the searing heat in the US. From Delhi, an Indian journalist provided details of the ‘extreme’ weather conditions in the country, while Japan had landslides. Meanwhile, the anchor in Beijing looked pretty cool.
But just when you thought the channel was highlighting environmental issues only in countries that are not China’s allies, it featured flooding in a Chinese village. There followed a discussion on “Extreme weather” – with experts from different countries. The anchor, pointedly, referred to China-US cooperation leading the way out of the crisis.
Do you get the idea? CGTN never directly criticises any nation or international leader, but nevertheless makes China’s point of view abundantly clear. Another example: first, it reported the US decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine; it then explained the damage that cluster munitions can cause; third, it gave voice to criticism of the US decision from American allies like Italy – and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Another way CGTN promotes China while reporting the world is by covering regions where Beijing has political or economic interests and others don’t go much – a lot of it is highly informative, too. There’s a report on Columbia, which has the highest number of people who want to migrate; why Ethiopia has an ambition to join BRICS; and elections in Uzbekistan.
There’s news of an EV developed in Beirut by the Lebanese, the ASEAN meeting in Indonesia, an AI conference in Geneva and another in Shanghai. Watched a discussion on the future of currencies as paper money worldwide and a feature on a mountain city in China.
News about India is minimal but not overtly critical, and mostly apolitical. News about China is not the focus, either—there’s no obvious promotion of President Xi Jinping; his travels and speeches are reported briefly.
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CNA, a series of good TV
Singapore’s CNA is a good channel for news and features. Like China’s CGTN, it has proper news bulletins – something Indian channels have long since discarded – and a variety of news shows. There is none of that all-day running coverage of one news item.
It has plenty of news from Southeast Asia and is a serious in-depth news channel–until singer Taylor Swift decided to hold concerts in this island nation. As tickets went on sale, this week, she was the lead story on many bulletins.
But watch CNA series such as ‘Undercover Asia’, ‘Our World to Change’ or ‘CNA Correspondent’ and ‘In Conversation’. The latter had a detailed interview with Piyush Gupta, CEO DBS, the largest bank in Southeast Asia. He spoke about economic, professional, and personal challenges. Very good.
Even better were the detailed reports on Myanmar’s drug clubs, the illegal trafficking of rare butterflies and the importance of STEM education. And then there were the documentary-style shows, such as the one on China, six months after it lifted Covid regulations. This covered the “bumpy road” rode ahead for the economy, the poor employment opportunities, trade, a lifestyle and the industry’s attempts to revive. Balanced and fair.
I’ve left the best for last: ‘What’s behind Asia’s tainted medicine scandal’ is an investigation–covering India and Indonesia–into the unexplained deaths of infants in countries like Gambia that was traced back to cough syrups and eye drops manufactured in India. We know the story, but as told by CGTN, it was chilling and absorbing. So was another one on ‘Asia’s small gold mines’ leading to mercury poisoning—one child has no bowel movement because of the toxicity, and early death faces the miners.
These are two examples of television news at its best. What a pity Indian TV news excels only in the worst.
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)