Assignment: Write a news feature. These are stories written "off the news." For example, a news feature after the attempted Christmas Day bombing on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit would have involved talking to travelers at airports around the country to gauge their reacting to additional screenings. News features can be the local angle on a national story, but you still need timeliness.
By Natalie Kirkpatrick
You won’t find a Falun Gong entry on Wikipedia when surfing the Internet in China. The Tibet and Tiananmen Square entries are missing as well. You won’t find information about them on Baidu, a government controlled search engine. You will find all of them on Google.cn.
“You know our government can control our search engine but cannot control Google, so they have conflict,” said Wang Qian, 26, a Chinese teacher from Beijing and visiting scholar in Portland, Ore. “I don’t know if they can solve this conflict or not.”
When Google.cn launched in January 2006, the company said they believed that the benefit of allowing freedom of information compensated for censoring some of the search results, according to David Drummond, senior vice president for corporate development and chief legal officer for Google, who detailed their decision to consider closing Google.cn on the Official Google Blog.
Now Google is “no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn,” Drummond wrote. “We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.”
By Natalie Kirkpatrick
You won’t find a Falun Gong entry on Wikipedia when surfing the Internet in China. The Tibet and Tiananmen Square entries are missing as well. You won’t find information about them on Baidu, a government controlled search engine. You will find all of them on Google.cn.
“You know our government can control our search engine but cannot control Google, so they have conflict,” said Wang Qian, 26, a Chinese teacher from Beijing and visiting scholar in Portland, Ore. “I don’t know if they can solve this conflict or not.”
When Google.cn launched in January 2006, the company said they believed that the benefit of allowing freedom of information compensated for censoring some of the search results, according to David Drummond, senior vice president for corporate development and chief legal officer for Google, who detailed their decision to consider closing Google.cn on the Official Google Blog.
Now Google is “no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn,” Drummond wrote. “We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.”
“What’s in the Chinese press right now is they’re framing this as Google quitting the market because they couldn’t hack it in China,” said Natalie Matthews, a student at the School of International Studies at American University in Washington, DC who was in China from June 2008 through May 2009.
With Google’s decision of whether to close Google.cn looming, Americans and Chinese alike are weighing the consequences.
Susie Vulpas, a student at American University who studied abroad in China from August 2008 to May 2009, said that when attempting to get onto a blocked site in China, users are greeted with a page claiming “connection failure.”
“It’s like when you have a bad connection, the page that pops up, it’ll pop up for Facebook but it won’t pop up for Baidu or China Daily,” Vulpas said. She uses the Internet to translate English to Chinese, to watch movies and to do research.
Baidu is the Chinese search engine. According to a site called “The Baidu Story,” the word Baidu literally translates to “hundreds of times.” The search engine allows users to search in Chinese and download movies and music. It is monitored by the Chinese government. And Baidu is anything but unpopular.
“I just know that they have the majority of the market in China,” said Matthews. “You can search Baidu if you’re trying to watch movies illegally online, or get music, you can download music, so I would use Baidu for that,” Matthews said.
“In general, Chinese use Baidu,” Vulpas said. “That is Google.”
Baidu is an easy replacement for Google in China.
“It’s set up for the Chinese culture, the Chinese society. It’s more reflective of their society, I think,” Vulpas said.
“It’s interesting, though, because the Chinese teachers from the program in China who teach here at AU and when I go over to their apartment I see them using Baidu here even though naturally we would think, you’re in America you can have free Internet. But that’s what they’re used to, and it’s all in Chinese,” Matthews said. “It’s definitely more popular.”
That’s not the case for Wang.
“I think it would be very sad for Chinese people,” said Wang of Google’s possible departure. “That means that Baidu is going to be the only big search engine in China and any other Chinese search engine in China would also be controlled by Chinese government.”
Wang said that this would decrease the amount of information they could get from other countries.
“International politics in China are really restrict,” said Wang.
Matthews explained that the social networking site Twitter wasn’t as popular when she was abroad, but she knew that it was blocked toward the end of her stay, along with Wikipedia, the New York Times web site due to “unflattering” articles, BBC News and YouTube sporadically.
“Most Chinese citizens aren’t trying to get on Facebook,” Matthews said, noting that there are more popular Chinese social networking sites. “Only Chinese people who are friends with Westerners use Facebook, or Westerners who are in China.”
The censorship isn’t doesn’t stop the portal to the content according to Matthews. If someone wanted to download movies, articles or porn they could leap over the wall.
“People like use software proxies to get ‘over the wall’ as they say,” Matthews said. “It’s called the ‘great firewall of China,’ and so in Chinese, when people are searching to get around it, it translates to ‘leaping over the wall,’ and so that’s the catchphrase, how people find software to get out.”
While social networking and technology have reached new levels, diplomats are emphasizing the Internet’s importance. In her speech on Internet freedom at the Newseum in Washington, DC in January, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the Internet is a “source of tremendous progress in China.”
“Now, in many respects, information has never been so free,” Clinton said. “There are more ways to spread more ideas to more people than at any moment in history.”
There are 300 million Web users in China, to which Matthews said, “It’s the Chinese market share so even a small market share could be worth a lot.”
Matthews admitted it’s a hard market to walk away from.
As the struggle to reach a happy medium of censored search results continues, international relations between China and the United States are hardening.
“I think that the Chinese government is very offended by the whole situation, and Google is being seen as the U.S. government,” Matthews said.
Vulpas thought that the simple action of Google ceasing to do business in China would speak volumes. She thought it would show how they value morals about searching the Internet and how citizens get information.
“I almost want to say that they should to protect their corporate image,” Vulpas said.
To Vulpas, Google’s decision might border on commendable.
“They’re acting on something more than just money,” Vulpas said. “I think that’s very admirable in today’s economy, too. Because people are so focused on financial independence and freedom and here’s a company that doesn’t have to worry about that so much, and they can start acting on a higher level. More power to them.”
Susie Vulpas, a student at American University who studied abroad in China from August 2008 to May 2009, said that when attempting to get onto a blocked site in China, users are greeted with a page claiming “connection failure.”
“It’s like when you have a bad connection, the page that pops up, it’ll pop up for Facebook but it won’t pop up for Baidu or China Daily,” Vulpas said. She uses the Internet to translate English to Chinese, to watch movies and to do research.
Baidu is the Chinese search engine. According to a site called “The Baidu Story,” the word Baidu literally translates to “hundreds of times.” The search engine allows users to search in Chinese and download movies and music. It is monitored by the Chinese government. And Baidu is anything but unpopular.
“I just know that they have the majority of the market in China,” said Matthews. “You can search Baidu if you’re trying to watch movies illegally online, or get music, you can download music, so I would use Baidu for that,” Matthews said.
“In general, Chinese use Baidu,” Vulpas said. “That is Google.”
Baidu is an easy replacement for Google in China.
“It’s set up for the Chinese culture, the Chinese society. It’s more reflective of their society, I think,” Vulpas said.
“It’s interesting, though, because the Chinese teachers from the program in China who teach here at AU and when I go over to their apartment I see them using Baidu here even though naturally we would think, you’re in America you can have free Internet. But that’s what they’re used to, and it’s all in Chinese,” Matthews said. “It’s definitely more popular.”
That’s not the case for Wang.
“I think it would be very sad for Chinese people,” said Wang of Google’s possible departure. “That means that Baidu is going to be the only big search engine in China and any other Chinese search engine in China would also be controlled by Chinese government.”
Wang said that this would decrease the amount of information they could get from other countries.
“International politics in China are really restrict,” said Wang.
Matthews explained that the social networking site Twitter wasn’t as popular when she was abroad, but she knew that it was blocked toward the end of her stay, along with Wikipedia, the New York Times web site due to “unflattering” articles, BBC News and YouTube sporadically.
“Most Chinese citizens aren’t trying to get on Facebook,” Matthews said, noting that there are more popular Chinese social networking sites. “Only Chinese people who are friends with Westerners use Facebook, or Westerners who are in China.”
The censorship isn’t doesn’t stop the portal to the content according to Matthews. If someone wanted to download movies, articles or porn they could leap over the wall.
“People like use software proxies to get ‘over the wall’ as they say,” Matthews said. “It’s called the ‘great firewall of China,’ and so in Chinese, when people are searching to get around it, it translates to ‘leaping over the wall,’ and so that’s the catchphrase, how people find software to get out.”
While social networking and technology have reached new levels, diplomats are emphasizing the Internet’s importance. In her speech on Internet freedom at the Newseum in Washington, DC in January, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the Internet is a “source of tremendous progress in China.”
“Now, in many respects, information has never been so free,” Clinton said. “There are more ways to spread more ideas to more people than at any moment in history.”
There are 300 million Web users in China, to which Matthews said, “It’s the Chinese market share so even a small market share could be worth a lot.”
Matthews admitted it’s a hard market to walk away from.
As the struggle to reach a happy medium of censored search results continues, international relations between China and the United States are hardening.
“I think that the Chinese government is very offended by the whole situation, and Google is being seen as the U.S. government,” Matthews said.
Vulpas thought that the simple action of Google ceasing to do business in China would speak volumes. She thought it would show how they value morals about searching the Internet and how citizens get information.
“I almost want to say that they should to protect their corporate image,” Vulpas said.
To Vulpas, Google’s decision might border on commendable.
“They’re acting on something more than just money,” Vulpas said. “I think that’s very admirable in today’s economy, too. Because people are so focused on financial independence and freedom and here’s a company that doesn’t have to worry about that so much, and they can start acting on a higher level. More power to them.”
Clinton isn’t the only one calling for increased Internet freedom. During her speech, she noted President Barack Obama’s town hall meeting in China in November 2009. The meeting had an online component “to highlight the importance of the Internet,” Clinton said.
Clinton said that President Obama discussed free access to information on the Internet and said that it strengthened societies.
“He spoke about how access to information helps citizens hold their own governments accountable, generates new ideas, encourages creativity and entrepreneurship,” Clinton said. “The United States’ belief in that ground truth is what brings me here today.”
Wang remembered Obama’s speech as well and noted how it is possibly troubling calm waters.
“I think actually its already affected something,” Wang said. “I heard Obama already said something to Chinese government about Internet freedom, but Chinese government didn’t admit that so we do have conflict between our two countries… I think it’s not very easy of a question to be solved very soon.”
Wang thought that the Internet censorship issue was not the only one between the two countries and that the worse conflict is going to come later.
“I think there are going to be more conflicts that are going to occur. It’s just a matter of time,” Wang said.
“But countries that restrict free access to information or violate the basic rights of internet users risk walling themselves off from the progress of the next century,” Clinton said. “Now, the United States and China have different views on this issue, and we intend to address those differences candidly and consistently in the context of our positive, cooperative, and comprehensive relationship.”
Matthews said that there’s no way Google can back down now.
“Once Google puts it out there that you stop censoring or we’re leaving, they’re not going to stop censoring, that’s just not going to happen,” Matthews said.
Shock value also matters. Matthews noted that the Google conflict and Hillary Clinton’s speech aren’t exiting the media cycle.
“I guess they’re going to have to get rid of their search engine, but I think they’re going to try to find a way to stay in China and say that they want to keep employing all of those people and still try to sell all of their phones there as a way to do it,” Matthews said.
Clinton said that President Obama discussed free access to information on the Internet and said that it strengthened societies.
“He spoke about how access to information helps citizens hold their own governments accountable, generates new ideas, encourages creativity and entrepreneurship,” Clinton said. “The United States’ belief in that ground truth is what brings me here today.”
Wang remembered Obama’s speech as well and noted how it is possibly troubling calm waters.
“I think actually its already affected something,” Wang said. “I heard Obama already said something to Chinese government about Internet freedom, but Chinese government didn’t admit that so we do have conflict between our two countries… I think it’s not very easy of a question to be solved very soon.”
Wang thought that the Internet censorship issue was not the only one between the two countries and that the worse conflict is going to come later.
“I think there are going to be more conflicts that are going to occur. It’s just a matter of time,” Wang said.
“But countries that restrict free access to information or violate the basic rights of internet users risk walling themselves off from the progress of the next century,” Clinton said. “Now, the United States and China have different views on this issue, and we intend to address those differences candidly and consistently in the context of our positive, cooperative, and comprehensive relationship.”
Matthews said that there’s no way Google can back down now.
“Once Google puts it out there that you stop censoring or we’re leaving, they’re not going to stop censoring, that’s just not going to happen,” Matthews said.
Shock value also matters. Matthews noted that the Google conflict and Hillary Clinton’s speech aren’t exiting the media cycle.
“I guess they’re going to have to get rid of their search engine, but I think they’re going to try to find a way to stay in China and say that they want to keep employing all of those people and still try to sell all of their phones there as a way to do it,” Matthews said.
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