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Q: Foreigners working for Chinese state media...
A co-worker of mine recently left to start working at an undisclosed part of the Chinese state media machine. Apparently it pays pretty well, but I still feel pretty uncomfortable about the whole arrangement. What is your impression of foreigners that opt to work for CCTV/China Daily/Global Times etc? Just another 9 to 5 job, or is it some sort of cardinal expat sin? Personally I'm still undecided, although I think that it is telling that the person is not willing to discuss the specifics of the arrangement with anyone else.
10 years 50 weeks ago in Business & Jobs - China
Depends on the person I guess. If they're not worried about the moral dilemma and just want to progress on their careers (which I guess these institutions help them do) then it's understandable, but for me I try to emotionally invest in what I do jobwise and couldn't see myself "selling my soul" as it were.
those bastards implemented my foreign wumao idea without hiring me!?
I've met a couple of former CCTV employees. Both had the "it's just another job" attitude towards it. On the other hand some of the Chinese CCTV people I've encountered are the types that I can imagine not breaking for average people and if they hit someone they would pull party-guanxi to remove any problems
crimochina:
if i worked for the state media i would make up some of the funniest shat.
Most reporters I know are proud of the rag they work for, and will talk ad nauseum about what they are researching and investigating, unless it is "The Big One".
They will never, EVER hide what they are doing.
Even if they hate their current rag, they will let you know in great detail why.
And even if they dont talk of their present projects, they will regale you with past exploits, some real, some real but exaggerated and some fake but still good stories
Now , if a reporter is uncomfortable talking about what he or she is doing, beware.....
Whoever is working in an "undisclosed part" of any company is selling his soul. If your work is a good work, you do not have to hide it.
Second, any media has its intention -- in my homecountry, there are well-known "left" (socialistic) and "right" (conservative) newspapers. If you start to work for them, you for sure know their intention in advance. So, if you start e.g. for CCTV9, you pretty sure know that you are welcome to show the positive sides of China (which do exist), but you won't be able to do critical investigation on, let's say, corrupted judges (which do not exist, by the way 
)
Greetings from Kärnten
Liese
