How to help protect your Chinese staff


Chinese-language media resources

For those who do not have sufficient staff reading or translating Chinese language media and websites, there are two major independent English-language websites that digest and translate select news and feature stories. Consider consulting these sites before and after your arrival in China.

One key site is “Danwei”, run by a South African public relations executive based in Beijing. The site’s “Media Tools” link on its homepages gives you a useful overview of the Chinese media and also recommends “cool English blogs” and “cool Chinese blogs.”

Another key English-language website is “EastSouthWestNorth”, which provides word-for-word translation of pieces from the mainland Chinese, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese media.

See the “Practical Information” section at the end of this Guide for a more complete listing of Chinese media sites that have English-language versions.

  • Neither Human Rights Watch nor the Committee to Protect Journalists provides fixer services or a database of fixer contacts in China. The Foreign Correspondents Club of China has in the past assisted incoming correspondents by referring them to fixers who are known to them and have experience working with foreign journalists. Incoming correspondents should contact the FCCC (fcccadmin@gmail.com) and ask for their assistance in hiring a local fixer whom they can contact and consult with on their own specific reporting objectives.
  • Plan to review risks with any Chinese news assistants and agree on contingency plans. Be aware that government agents may intimidate your aides to get information about you or your stories.
  • Consider using Chinese-language media resources. Before sending a potentially vulnerable assistant off to interview or phone someone, consider checking domestic media first to see if that information is not already in the public domain. The domestic media in China is much more lively and robust than it once was and even state-run outlets can occasionally break stories.