Journalism and Media Studies Centre
The University of Hong Kong
JMSC 0027
Press, Politics and Government
Spring 2013
Class Time and Place:
12: 30pm – 2:20pm, Mondays / EH 101
(Group A) 10: 30am – 11:20am, Wednesdays / EH101
(Group B) 11:30am – 12:20pm, Wednesdays / EH101
Instructor: Pui-king Chan
Email: puikingchan@gmail.com
Course blog: http://jmsc.hku.hk/courses/0027spring2013 (Please check the course
blog frequently for readings, further information about the class and assignments.)
Course Description
Communication lies at the heart of politics and governance as it is even argued that
power is biased toward those with the best command of political information.
Meanwhile, journalism is widely considered failure to uphold its values of
independence because of the strong influence from politics.
This course is an introduction to the study of the inter-relationship among press,
politics and government. The course provides an overview of major frameworks for
understanding the complex dynamics among them and leads students to apply them in
reading everyday news about politics, government and the media itself. Both local
and overseas cases will be used for discussion.
The course is appropriate to any student interested in future involvement journalism,
and government or non-government organizations which are impacted by or relying
upon media. As global media impacts and is a potential tool for all types of public and
private organizations, this course will be useful to many students.
Learning outcomes
1. Understand basic theoretic models that explain the inter-relationship among media,
politics and the government and how they apply in the real situations
2. Understand the theoretical values of journalism and the realistic challenges that
face the media in covering politics and policy issues
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3. Understand and explain how the government and the politician affect the media
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
and in turn frame the issues according to their objectives
Critically examine both the good and ill impact of media on political culture and
democracy
Critically examine if free media is a must in democratic rule, and if propaganda is
the only form of political communication in non-democracies
Critically evaluate everyday news if they are biased or not
Critically evaluate if media-related regulations imposed by the governments are
necessary
Develop critical thinking skills about political issues and dynamics
Understand the globalization impact on state, policy and media freedom
Assessment
Class participation and discussion (15%) - Students have to prepare the assigned
readings which will be uploaded at the course blog or distributed by the instructor in
advance. You are also encouraged to catch up with the news about media, politics
and government in Hong Kong and overseas. Class meetings will be a combination of
lecture and volunteering ideas and thoughts from each other. Students will be graded
how much you contribute in class discussion based on the readings and the news.
Group Presentation (45%) – Each student will pick TRHEE topics for presentation
during the tutorials. All topics are related to the lectures and the assigned readings.
In addition to readings, students should do much research on media coverage, public
documents and research publications related to the topic.
Students will be graded on 1. presentation that should be clear, brief and with
highlights of your thoughts; 2. a 4-page written paper that contains all your thoughts
or arguments plus the evidence or events to support your thoughts and arguments.
These papers are to be submitted to instructor in hard copy before your presentation at
the tutorial. The papers are to be written in 12-point font, 4-page, single spaced, with
margins of 1 inch on each side of an A4 paper.
Term paper (40%)
Each student will be required to produce a research paper on a topic that you select
related to the themes discussed in class. The paper must provide a synthesis of student
research and critical analysis of arguments and evidence you learn in class. It can be an
analysis of a media case study, a trend in news, a trend in the government and/or politics
issue, etc. You may need to conduct interviews, in addition to research. It should be
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tailored to your particular interests, but must be approved by the instructor. You are
welcome to come discuss the topic with me.
The paper is from 15 to 20 pages in length, double-spaced and written in 12-point font.
It must be submitted to instructor in hard copy and soft copy by May 6.
You are expected to attend all the classes and tutorials. Except the circumstances
that you will be sick and the instructor in advance via email or in person has approved
your absence, your absence will cost your grading in class participation.
Class Schedule
Week 1 (January 21): Introduction of the course (Learning outcome: 1, 2)
What are media, politics and government, and their inter-relationship
How journalistic values are being challenged
Readings for this week:
1. Heywood, Andrew. 2007. Politics, third edition. London: Palgrave MacMillan. Ch
1 (p. 3-10) What is politics; Ch 11 Mass Media and Political Communication
2. Bennett, W Lance. 2012. News: The Politics of Illusion. Boston: Longman. Ch 1
The News About Democracy: Information Crisis in American Politics
Week 2 (January 28): Government-media relation and its dynamics in Hong
Kong (Learning outcome: 1, 6)
How media and government are affecting each other
How the change of sovereignty has changed the media landscape
Which media model(s) best explain(s) the government-press relation
Readings for this week:
1. Ma, Ngok. 2007. State-press relationship in post-1997 Hong Kong: Constant
Negotiation amidst self-restraint. The China Quarterly. 192. December 2007:
949-970.
2. Chan, Joseph M, Francis L F Lee. 2007. Media and politics in Hong Kong: A
decade after the handover. China Perspectives. 2007/2: 49-56.
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Week 3
(Feb 4): How and why do politics and governance need media to win? (Learning
outcome: 3, 8)
How is political and policy agenda shaped by media
What are government’s and politicians’ aims for political communication
What is indexing of press reporting of political news
(Feb 6): About the students’ presentations
Readings for this week:
1. Bennett, W Lance. 2012. News: The Politics of Illusion. Boston: Longman. Ch 4
How politicians make the news (p. 115-137); Ch 2 News stories (p. 66-70)
2. Goodman, Amy and Denis Moynihan. 2012. The Silenced Majority: Stories of
uprisings, occupations, resistance and hope. Chicago: Haymarket Books. (p.108-109)
--------------------------------------------Lunar New Year holidays--------------------------------Week 4
(Feb 18): How and why does press need politics and government as sources and
other purposes (Learning outcome: 2, 3, 6)
Guest speaker: a political reporter in Hong Kong
How 24/7 news and press competition discourage journalists pursuit for balanced
reporting
(Feb 20): Presentation topic 1:
What is current state of political reporting: Identify if the press covered the
Policy Address (which was delivered on Jan 16) 1. with clear pro- and
against-government stance, and 2. with policy or politics dominated? (Non-Hong
Kong students are also free to group with local students or discuss on the
equivalent in your country.)
Readings for this week:
1. Davis, Nick. 2009. Flat Earth News. London: Vintage. Ch 2 The Workers
Week 5
(February 25): Media bias: under internal and external pressure (Learning
outcome: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8)
How rating and market forces dictate news selection - TV drama “News Room”
Should journalists have political stand and affiliation
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(February 27): Presentation topic 2:
Pick a news issue, either in Hong Kong or overseas, which was reported as press
indexing. How press indexing affects the development of the issue.
Readings for this week:
1. Bennett, W Lance. 2012. News: The Politics of Illusion. Boston: Longman. Ch 6:
Inside the profession: Objectivity and political authority bias.
2. Kovach, Bill and Tom Rosenstiel. 2007. Elements of Journalism. New York: Three
Rivers Press Ch 5: Independence from faction
Week 6
(March 4): “Free” media model: controlled, propaganda and biased (Learning
outcome: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
How government spin doctors work
How government uses regulations of all kinds (e.g. public information flow, licensing
of media) and other soft means to control media
Self-restraint or self-censorship by media
Guest speaker: a retired government official will talk about how the executive
declines to pass archives law and fails to manage government records
(March 6): Presentation topic 3:
How the two issues: 1. Lung Mei Beach and 2. New Territories Northeast
development have been under-reported, and how they are revived press coverage?
Does politics play a role in both cases?
Readings for this week:
1. Davis, Nick. 2009. Flat Earth News. London: Vintage. Ch 5 The private life of
public relations
2. Hong Kong Journalists Association. Legal proposals raise freedom fears. HKJA
Annual report 2012. (p.20-24); Manipulated sources: Tsang’s legacy. HKJA Annual
report 2012. (p.9-14); The growing scourge of self-censorship. HKJA Annual report
2007. (p.16-23)
-------------------------------------------------Spring Break-------------------------------------Week 7
(March 18): Movie: Control Room: Different Channel Different Truth (Learning
outcome: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8)
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(March 20): Presentation topic 4:
How media influences policy agenda of the government? Illustrate your
arguments with examples.
Readings for this week:
1. Bennett, W. Lance, Regina G. Lawrence, Steven Livingston. 2007. When the press
fails: Political power and the news media from Iraq to Katrina. Illinois: University of
Chicago Press. Excerpt (p. 13-28)
Week 8
(March 25): State-controlled media: controlled, propaganda and independent
(Learning outcome: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
How the government mainland China regulates news
How the press make use of the gray areas in regulations to pursue independent
reporting
How social media provides a leeway for independent reporting
Guest speaker: a reporter specialized in covering mainland Chinese news
(March 27): Presentation topic 5:
Identify and argue for what you see as the most compelling press regulation issue
in the current (or future) situation.
Readings for this week:
1. Bandurski, David and Martin Hala, ed. 2010. Investigative Journalism in China:
Eight cases in Chinese watchdog journalism. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Introduction, by Ying Chan; Ch 9 The emergence of China’s watchdog reporting, by
Li-fung Cho
2. Remarks of Doug Young at Journalism and Media Studies Centre, the University of
Hong Kong, December 7, 2012. Download from:
http://jmsc.hku.hk/2012/12/china-censors-loosen-gag/
Week 9
(April 3): Presentation topic 6:
How has the press reflected and/or shaped the political culture? Illustrate your
arguments with examples.
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Week 10
(April 8): New media and its changes on politics and policy process (Learning
outcome: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6)
What is new about the “new” media
What role new media can play that traditional media fails
(April 10): Presentation topic 7:
How do you define independent media? Are there any currently existing examples
that fit this definition?
Readings for this week:
1. Lessig, Lawrence. 2008. Remix: Making art and commerce thrive in the hybrid
economy. London: Penguin Press. Ch 4 RW, Remixed.
2. Goodman, Amy and Denis Moynihan. 2012. The Silenced Majority: Stories of
uprisings, occupations, resistance and hope. Chicago: Haymarket Books. Introduction:
Occupy the media.
3. Brooke, Heather. 2011. The revolution will be digitised : dispatches from the
information war. London : William Heinemann. Conclusion (p.227-239)
Week 11:
(April 15): Media and democracy (Learning outcome: 4, 5, 8)
(April 17): Presentation topic 8:
What is the role of new media in the development of news issue and government
reaction you pick as example?
Readings for this week:
1. Kovach, Bill and Tom Rosenstiel. 2007. Elements of Journalism. New York: Three
Rivers Press. Ch 1 What is Journalism for? (Lippmann vs. Dewey models)
2. Bennett, W Lance. 2012. News: The Politics of Illusion. Boston: Longman. Ch 8
All the news that fits democracy: Solutions for citizens, politicians and journalists
(skim on “digital democracy and personalized information)
Week 12
(April 22): Globalization and how it affects media freedom (Learning outcome: 2,
3, 4, 9)
(April 24): Presentation topic 9:
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Does greater democracy lead to more open media, or, does more open media lead
to greater democracy?
Readings for this week:
1. Price, Monroe. 2002. Media and sovereignty: The global information revolution
and its challenges to state power. Cambridge: MIT Press. Ch1 New role of the state
Week 13
(April 29): Course wrap-up
What is the new role for journalist?
Readings for this week:
1. Keane, John. “The new muckrakers are challenging democratic institutions — in a
good way.” Nieman Journalism Lab. Nov 29. 2012.
2. Gans, Herber. “Journalism and the citizenry”.
2012.
Nieman Journalism Lab. Nov 29.
Assessment Rubric
All of your assignments will be assessed on at least one of the following criteria. All
criteria are equally weighted, so the final score for assignments with multiple criteria
will be based on an average of the scores for each relevant criterion.
Learning
Outcome
1. Understand
basic theoretic
models that
explain the
inter-relationship
among media,
politics and the
government and
how they apply
to the real
situations
2. Understand
the theoretical
values of
journalism and
the realistic
challenges that
face the media in
Spring 2013
A+ A A100 95 90
Sophisticated
understanding
of such models
and how they
apply to real
situations
B+ B
B89
85 80
Comprehensive
understanding
of such models
and how they
apply to real
situations
C+ C
C79 75 70
Basic
understanding
of such models
and how they
apply to real
situations
D+ D F
69 60 <60
Little or no
understanding
of such models
and how they
apply to real
situations
Sophisticated
understanding
of such values
and challenges
that face the
media
Comprehensive
understanding
of such values
and challenges
that face the
media
Barely
understands the
such values and
challenges that
face the media
Little or no
understanding
of such values
and challenges
that face the
media
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covering politics
and policy issues
3. Understand
and explain how
the government
and the
politician affect
the media and in
turn frame the
issues according
to their
objectives
Sophisticated
understanding
and able to
explain the
political effect
on media and
aims of
political
communication
Comprehensive
understanding
and able to
explain the
political effect
on media and
aims of
political
communication
Barely able to
understand and
explain the
political effect
on media and
aims of
political
communication
Little or no
understanding
and ability to
explain the
political effect
on media and
aims of
political
communication
4. Critically
examine both the
good and ill
impact of media
on political
culture and
democracy
Strong in
critically
telling the
media impact
on political
culture and
democracy
Able to tell
critically the
media impact
on political
culture and
democracy
Be managed to
tell critically
the media
impact on
political culture
and democracy
Failure to tell
critically the
media impact
on political
culture and
democracy
5. Critically
examine if free
media is a must
in democratic
rule, and if
propaganda is
the only form of
political
communication
in
non-democracies
6. Critically
evaluate
everyday news if
they are biased
or not
Strong in
critically
telling the
Able to tell
critically the
relation
Be managed to
tell critically
the relation
Failure to tell
critically the
relation
relation
between media
freedom and
political
structure
between media
freedom and
political
structure
between media
freedom and
political
structure
between media
freedom and
political
structure
Strong in
critically
evaluating
everyday news
Able to
evaluate
critically
everyday news
Be managed to
evaluate
critically
everyday news
Failure to
evaluate
critically
everyday news
if they are
biased or not
if they are
biased or not
if they are
biased or not
if they are
biased or not
Strong in
critically
evaluating if
media-related
regulations
imposed by the
Able to
evaluate
critically if
media-related
regulations
imposed by the
Be managed to
evaluate
critically if
media-related
regulations
imposed by the
Failure to
evaluate
critically if
media-related
regulations
imposed by the
7. Critically
evaluate if
media-related
regulations
imposed by the
governments are
necessary
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governments
governments
governments
governments
are necessary
are necessary
are necessary
are necessary
8. Develop
critical thinking
skills about
political issues
and dynamics
Strong in
critical
thinking skills
about political
issues and
dynamics
Comprehensive
critical
thinking skills
about political
issues and
dynamics
Fair critical
thinking skills
about political
issues and
dynamics
Little or no
critical
thinking skills
about political
issues and
dynamics
9. Understand
the globalization
impact on state,
policy and media
freedom
Sophisticated
understanding
how
Comprehensive Basic
understanding
understanding
how
how
Little or no
understanding
how
globalization
affects them
globalization
affects them
globalization
affects them
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globalization
affects them
10