For International Reporting, I would like to cover China. As a Chinese-American, I feel that this would be the most accessible route. As Chinese immigrants make up the second largest foreign-born population in NYC, there isn’t a shortage of people to interview. There’s Chinatown in Manhattan, Flushing in Queens, Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, etc. However, I am confused about what official sources I can reach out to.
China is known as one of the least press-friendly countries in the world, and has been for decades. Many aspects of Chinese economy, culture, and education are tightly regulated by the government. Whatever official sources may have certain agendas in mind.
Many journalists, when reporting on this issue, have been detained for non-positive coverage. Chinese diaspora are often quietly IP-blocked from accessing Chinese websites, to prevent the spreading of information. These diaspora often have to use VPNs to access these Chinese websites. This means I could run into issues during reporting.
A preliminary story idea is where the Chinese diaspora in New York get their news about China from. As journalism has moved to online publication, I suspect that many Chinese diaspora get their news from WeChat. WeChat, which was nearly banned by former President Trump in 2020, is all encompassing for Chinese people. From messaging, video calls, social media, food delivery, transportation, and even toilet paper dispensers in public restrooms (this one I know from personal experience). WeChat is where Chinese people have lived their entire digital lives, and is all they’ve known. However, there is obviously regulation in regards to the Chinese government in play. The question is, in a new environment with more diverse and uncensored sources of news, why do Chinese diaspora rely on WeChat for news?