This research project asks: What is the relationship between Micro-blogging (Weibo) and media policy in China? Under the new media regulations made by the government, what role is Weibo playing in Chinese external and internal communication, specifically in the case of China’s official news agency Xinhua? My project intends to find out the answer through studying the interplay between Chinese Micro-blogging (Weibo) and the Chinese state-owned media outlet Xinhua News Agency, an active actor on Weibo.

My project aims to expand our understanding of how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) influence China’s official news agency, Xinhua, in terms of the government’s communicative strategy, and also aims to develop theories as well as research methods that will contribute to contemporary Chinese media studies. It is likely to raise pertinent questions as to whether the innovation of technology can be a reliable incentive for social change as China continues its “opening-up” policy.

Questions inevitably arise regarding the extent to which Xinhua News Agency reports about events outside China and how it intends to inform the audiences by integrating social media. My project will open up avenues of future research into other news organizations’ performance on new media platforms.

• chinese studies
• digital media
• media policy
• micro-blogging