Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People's Republic

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Mike Chinoy

Assignment China

An Oral History of American Journalists in the People's Republic

Mike Chinoy

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Hardback

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English

Columbia University Press
30 May 2023

Oral history; Press & journalism

Reporting on China has long been one of the most challenging and crucial of journalistic assignments. Foreign correspondents have confronted war, revolution, isolation, internal upheaval, and onerous government restrictions as well as barriers of language, culture, and politics. Nonetheless, American media coverage of China has profoundly influenced U.S. government policy and shaped public opinion not only domestically but also, given the clout and reach of U.S. news organizations, around the world.

This book tells the story of how American journalists have covered China-from the civil war of the 1940s through the COVID-19 pandemic-in their own words. Mike Chinoy assembles a remarkable collection of personal accounts from eminent journalists, including Stanley Karnow, Seymour Topping, Barbara Walters, Dan Rather, Melinda Liu, Nicholas Kristof, Joseph Kahn, Evan Osnos, David Barboza, Amy Qin, and Megha Rajagopalan, among dozens of others. They share behind-the-scenes stories of reporting on historic moments such as Richard Nixon's groundbreaking visit in 1972, China's opening up to the outside world and its emergence as a global superpower, and the crackdowns in Tiananmen Square and Xinjiang. Journalists detail the challenges of covering a complex and secretive society and offer insight into eight decades of tumultuous political, economic, and social change.

At a time of crisis in Sino-American relations, understanding the people who have covered China for the American media and how they have done so is crucial to understanding the news. Through the personal accounts of multiple generations of China correspondents, Assignment China provides that understanding.

By: Mike Chinoy
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780231207980
ISBN 10: 0231207980
Pages: 520
Publication Date: 30 May 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgments Cast of Characters Introduction 1. The Chinese Civil War 2. China Watching 3. “A Struggle of Sea Monsters” 4. The Week That Changed the World 5. End of an Era 6. Opening Up 7. “You Were Writing What We Were Thinking” 8. Testing the Limits 9. Beijing Spring 10. The Crackdown in Tiananmen Square 11. Aftermath 12. A Tale of Two Chinas 13. The New Millennium 14. Tremors 15. Contradictions 16. The Turning Point 17. Poison 18. Follow the Money 19. The Surveillance State 20. Emperor for Life 21. “Reeducation” in Xinjiang 22. “I Started to Cry” 23. Epidemic 24. Expulsion 25. The Door Closes Notes Suggested Reading Index

Mike Chinoy is a nonresident senior fellow at the U.S.-China Institute at the University of Southern California. He spent twenty-four years as a foreign correspondent for CNN, serving as the network’s first Beijing bureau chief and senior Asia correspondent. Before joining CNN, Chinoy worked for CBS News and NBC News. He won Emmy, Dupont, and Peabody awards for his coverage of China.

Reviews for Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People's Republic

The China beat is one of the toughest in journalism-and one of the most important. In Assignment China, Mike Chinoy, CNN's longtime Beijing bureau chief, has created a remarkable oral history of multiple generations of China correspondents, providing insight beyond the headlines and introducing readers to some of the committed, compassionate and colorful people who covered China for the American media from 1945 to the present day. Essential reading for understanding modern China and the history of journalism. -- Tom Johnson, former publisher of the <i>Los Angeles Times</i> and former CEO of CNN A rare and fascinating assemblage of first-hand accounts from decades of American journalists in China. Assignment China fills a gap in the literature on Sino-American relations and it opens a window into how Americans have formed their perceptions of China. -- David Shambaugh, George Washington University