Many industry insiders have pointed out that numerous Chinese media outlets have stopped participating in overseas journalism awards due to increasing pressure, fearing being accused of “colluding with foreign forces.” Experts say this indicates a further contraction of press freedom in China.
Caixin Media had won journalism awards from the Hong Kong-based non-profit organization “Society of Publishers in Asia” (SOPA) for five consecutive years from 2014 to 2018. However, two senior employees of Caixin Media told Nikkei Asia that they have stopped submitting entries for the awards in recent years for “obvious reasons.”
“We can’t submit entries, even if we receive invitations from overseas institutions. We can’t participate,” one of them said.
Caixin is not the only media outlet feeling similar pressures. Sources reveal that Sixth Tone, an English-language online magazine under the Shanghai United Media Group, which had been nominated or won SOPA awards for several years in the past, also did not submit any entries this year.
Both Sixth Tone and its sister publication The Paper have relinquished their membership with SOPA this year.
Last year, the China-supported English bimonthly magazine “China Report” also had winners from the mainland, but this publication did not submit any works this year.
A journalism professor in Hong Kong told Nikkei Asia: “In the current political atmosphere, participating in overseas awards certainly carries political risks. I understand the choice of Chinese media because survival is more important.”
The professor, who asked to remain anonymous, added: “On the other hand, there are already very few Chinese-language works participating in SOPA. If more Chinese media outlets withdraw from the awards, it could impact the credibility of SOPA itself.”
Sources informed Nikkei News that Alibaba-owned South China Morning Post has also withdrawn from SOPA and did not submit any entries this year.
In recent years, some Chinese media outlets, including Caixin and Sixth Tone, have faced increasing criticism from pro-Beijing individuals for publishing investigative reports critical of Beijing. Their critics argue that these media outlets “frequently receive international awards, such as SOPA,” with a clear bias against China.
At the end of 2022, Sixth Tone conducted an annual review project in which it portrayed China as a society with dim prospects, focusing on issues like “housing crisis,” “gender violence,” and “COVID-19.” A senior executive told Nikkei News that as a result, Sixth Tone’s editors were required by Shanghai authorities to write self-criticism reports.
He further mentioned: “Currently, international awards like SOPA do not accept submissions from above, and those below dare not submit entries as well.”
Luqiu Luwei, Associate Professor of Journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University, said that Chinese media distancing themselves from SOPA indicates a further tightening of press freedom in China, with even the once relatively free Chinese English-language media facing a shrinking space.