Ideas, Advocacy and Dialog on Tibet

Media monopoly – with Chinese characteristics

Posted by Oystein Alme in Recent Posts on Friday, April 30, 2010 | 2 responses

ICT Guest Blogger: Oystein Alme (born 1960) is Norwegian and director of the Foundation Voice of Tibet. Voice of Tibet is the only radio station outside China with daily SW radio transmissions both in Mandarin and Tibetan language on Tibet-related issues only. VOT’s main editorial office is located in Dharamsala, India.

Alme has written the book “SILENCED – China’s Great Wall of Censorship,” published by Amaryllis Media in 2006. The book “takes the reader on a fascinating and disturbing trip behind China’s Great Wall of Censorship. It also tells the story of Voice of Tibet, the radio station China couldn’t silence.” The book was later published into the Mandarin Chinese and Polish languages. Alme can be contacted by e-mail at: oystalme@gmail.com.

Media monopoly – with Chinese characteristics

It is Tuesday afternoon April 20, outside the Voice of Tibet (VOT) editorial office in Dharamsala, northern India. A week has passed since the terrible quake hit the Kyegudo area in Tibet with thousands of casualties. This morning Associated Press (AP) has spread the news across the world that our radio station, Voice of Tibet, has established a call-in service to convey messages of condolence to Tibet through separate programs beamed on short wave (radio). The first transmission is just about to start.

“Basically, we want to give a platform for Tibetans and other sympathizers to convey their messages to the victims of the earthquake, rescue workers and aid agencies,” Editor-in-Chief Karma Yeshi stated. The AP story urged the PRC authorities not to jam or interfere with these transmissions, as they would only contain messages of condolences. Today many people from around the world have called in contributing to a packed program of condolence messages.

Eight journalists join together around a tiny radio set outside the small studio in Dharamsala, eagerly waiting for the transmission to start. Hoping, at least for the ‘condolence’ program, it will reach out without interference from China – at least for today. After all today is the ‘national day of mourning’ throughout China, so at least for today… And there it is, with a loud and clear signal. Excited voices can be heard: “Wow! This they can definitely hear also inside Tibet… maybe this tragedy has made Beijing… – at least for today, and maybe… who knows…”

BANG! Powerful audio breaks through, in Chinese, taking center stage on short wave frequency 15.550 mHz, dominating on top of the condolence messages. Although registered internationally for Voice of Tibet’s exclusive use between 7 and 9 pm Tibet time, it is China Radio International’s (CRI) audio now attempting to rule the frequency. Our frequency. Just as they did yesterday, and the day before. And all other days ever since we started daily short wave radio transmissions to Tibet and China way back in 1996. It is called jamming and is part of China’s “Great Wall of Censorship,” spending the people’s money to make sure they cannot listen.

Defined as “the intentional transmission of radio signals in order to interfere with the reception of signals from another station,” Chinese jamming transmissions are fed by audio containing continuously-played, traditional Chinese music. Named “Firedrake” by ham radio enthusiasts, the Firedrake audio is down-linked from the Chinasat 6B satellite continuously, day and night, by jamming stations throughout China. These days transmitter sites located outside Kashgar, Urumqi and Dongfeng (in Hainan) are the most frequently used sites for jamming the Tibetan language SW radio services of Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA) and VOT.

But today, on the day of “national mourning” for the victims throughout China, they seem to have given a concession. Somebody, somewhere, most probably in Beijing, must have given the daily routine a second thought, and changed his mind. Somebody with power to make decisions. No “Firedrake” – no jamming by music and drums today, just feeding audio for jamming from the normal CRI programming. So they are censoring us also today, but with some sort of “concession”! Or might it be even better, the beginning of the end – or at least the end of the beginning – of Chinese censorship?

Well, not for now. The next day they use their “Firedrake” again, drums and music, to silence our transmissions. More effective that way… So it had just been the slightest of “concessions” – one with Chinese characteristics.

Maybe resumption of the US-China human rights dialogue has led the Chinese decision-makers to reconsider? If they can agree to discuss it, that is. “Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and [...] the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated,” according to the UN General Assembly, adopted in resolution 59(I). And after all China has signed up and is centrally positioned at the heart of the UN Security Council. “Only a country that respects history, takes responsibility for history, and wins over the trust of peoples in Asia and the world at large can take greater responsibilities in the international community,” Prime Minister Wen Jiabao once stated. So let us take him on his word, and address China by what it has signed up to and guaranteed, demanding they start respecting their obligations.

By Oystein Alme, VOT director

PHOTO: A VOT microphone set to record His Holiness the Dalai Lama at a function held in the Tsuglakhang (Main Temple) in Dharamsala.

Voice of Tibet produce and transmit daily radio programs in Tibetan and Chinese language, on Tibet related issues only. For program audio and news in text see: www.vot.org.

Links:

About the book “Silenced” and related information in English and Chinese: www.diantai.org

VOT Tibetan language section: www.vot.org

VOT Chinese language section: www.vot.org/index_simp.html

Short videos on VOT at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJd1lljj0Bc & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbDIQIaf9yY

VOT Video Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVbyPEx9zeE

VOT Video Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7fdmOd-oDo