ABSTRACT
This chapter first outlines the rise of mediation programs on Chinese television, a phenomenon that involves various social and political agents pursuing their own, sometimes conflicting, agendas. We then analyze the legal and moral discourses of TV mediation through one representative program, The New Family Mediator, demonstrating how TV mediation mixes legal education and application, expert commentary, moral persuasion, and entertainment in a way that brings them in line with official cultural policies. Finally, we examine the most recent developments of TV mediation programs and suggest some broader implications of such programs, in terms of the multiple functions and commitments of the Chinese media in a changing society.
