ABSTRACT
The news media in authoritarian regimes, typically under tight political control, constitute a core part of the political systems’ propaganda machine. However, the relationship between journalism and state propaganda in a country can change over time. In addition to maintaining power, authoritarian states also have to devise ways to ensure proper governance and facilitate social and economic developments. Depending on current social, economic, and political conditions, the state may not always put the same degree of emphasis on ideological propaganda and media control to the same extent. On the basis of these premises, this chapter reviews research about the relationship between journalism and state propaganda in China from the 1990s to the 2020s. It illustrates both the continuities and changes in the journalism-propaganda nexus in the country and highlights the varying impact of media commercialism under varying social and political conditions. The chapter also discusses the possible limitations of the power of media propaganda in authoritarian states.
