Meanwhile, Off the Grid

However, given China's strict media censorship system, are the majority of Chinese people who don't use the Web aware of the violent protests in the real world? How about the older and the less connected, those not on Weibo who rely on traditional print and broadcast media for their news?

This writer conducted a search of the front page headlines of 19 major print media in the cities of Beijing, Qingdao, Changsha, Guangzhou and Xi'an on September 16, the day following the first day of mass protests in these cities. Thirteen of the 19 covered only the geographic location of the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands as released by China's State Oceanic Administration on September 15. Beijing Youth Daily (北京青年报) and Xiao Xiang Morning News (潇湘晨报) were the only two media outlets surveyed that actually published photos of their respective cities' protests on their front page. Xi'An Daily (西安日报), Xiao Xiang Morning News (潇湘晨报), Southern Metropolis Daily (南方都市报), and New Express Daily (新快报) included calls to express patriotism in a rational manner.

China's mainstream media was scarcely more forthcoming on the Internet. A search of keywords such as "anti-Japan (反日)" and "anti-Japan protest (反日游行)" on the websites of several major print media in China on September 22 showed a similar caution when it came to reporting facts on the ground.

One example is the website of Nandu Daily, the most influential daily newspaper in southern China known for independent-minded reporting. Searches for "anti-Japan protests" up to September 22 yielded only two news stories. One had been published on November 7, 2007, covering soldiers in the Second World War against Japan, while the other was published on May 12, 2008, and reported on a lecture about patriotism.

The website of the Dongfang Daily, a major Shanghai-based major newspaper, was little better. The same search yielded eight stories, none of which covered the protests directly. Five of them covered the reactions of Japanese people, Japanese embassy and Japanese car companies to the protests. One article from Xinhua News, China's government-controlled wire service, called for "rational patriotism" in the face of tensions.

Protesters were on the streets of Guangzhou September 16, but not the front page of Guangzhou's papers. Protesters were on the streets of Guangzhou September 16, but not the front page of Guangzhou's papers.

After reviewing the evidence, it is clear that iSun Affairs' Zhibiao Song was correct when he wrote, "Except for a few left-wing media in Beijing, most of the traditional media in Mainland China are prohibited from reporting [on the protests.] Print and broadcast media are all staying away from this topic, not to mention providing a full report or comprehensive commentary." Indeed, this writer asked one Weibo user from Guangdong TV whether they were forbidden to cover the protests. "Yes, you understand," he responded on Weibo.