The power of Chinese journalists

China has a very bad press freedom ranking, recalcitrant journalists are harassed and jailed but that does not mean that Chinese "citizen" or "mainstream" journalists are totally powerless or subdued. On key concrete issues like pollution or corruption they dare to report and the authorities do not always react with a heavy stick. "Chinese press has impact, against the odds", writes Kristin Jones of the CPJ Asia program. In a nuanced article on the at times surreal state of journalism in China she shows how some tough issues (like the concentration of air particles in major cities) are being exposed by microbloggers and even mainstream publications. She also shows that socially conscious and daring journalists can also rewarded...with jail time.
http://cpj.org/blog/2012/01/chinese-press-has-impact-against-the-odds.php