China Reporting is an oral history showing how the China correspondent of the 1930s and 1940s constructed his or her news reality or the network of facts from which their stories were written. How these men and women pooled information and decided upon the legitimacy of particular sources is explored. The influences of competition, language facility (or lack thereof), common personal backgrounds, camaraderie, and changes in American official China policy are also discussed, with special attention paid to the prescriptive, gatekeeping role of editors back home. This is an approach which has often been applied to the domestic journalist. China Reporting is a pioneering effort at using historical perspective to view the foreign correspondent in terms fo the total epistemological context in which he or she operates to produce the news that in turn provides the data base upon which the public and policy makers inevitably draw.
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1987.
Voices Revived
China Reporting An Oral History of American Journalism in the 1930s and 1940s
About the Book
Reviews
"The refreshing and innovative recollections and introspections of a group of outstanding American China correspondents of the 1930s and 1940s have been skillfully selected and organized in this oral history. . . . An interesting and thoughtful contribution to the annals of the sometimes storm relations between media and governments." --Arthur W. Hummel, Jr., Foreign Service Journal "A splendidly useful and often intriguing oral history. It illuminates how U.S.-China relations soured and, drawing on sociological accounts of news work, dissects the special problems of foreign correspondents to analyze how intelligent and resourceful reporters came to misunderstand the Chinese revolution. . . . China Reporting demystifies the reporters' activities. It is an interesting book and a good read." --Gaye Tuchman, American Journal of Sociology "Readable, intelligent and thoughtful and should be read by anyone interested in China or in the processes that shape the news." --Shelley Fisher Fiskin, New York Times Book Review "China Reporting is a substantial piece of work. Its combination of personal stories and scholarly judgments makes it a book that professors will want to examine for a deeper understanding of Sino-America relations and that students will want to read for the sheer enjoyment of it." --William Wei, Pacific Historical Review "This volume is oral history at its best and a compelling read for anyone even vaguely interested in China or the workings of the fourth estate." --Nancy Langs, Far Eastern Economic ReviewRelated Books
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