Balancing the flow in a world of information: three case studies of information flows in Japan, China and Hong Kong

Abstract

The pattern of specific examples of the processes of globalization is described. The examples all concern information flows, which are illustrated through a comparative study of three television case histories in Asia. Also illustrated are the three different approaches to providing television services: public service (NHK in Japan), state (CCTV in China) and commercial (STAR TV, based in Hong Kong). Information flows are seen as global forces, constituted at a distance, and the focus is on the ways in which they are resisted or negotiated. NHK and CCTV are depicted as "front line" organizations which are forced to deal with globalization forces in the first instance, while the state may be slow to comprehend or react to the new realities facing it. The case histories show how television is becoming global. From that perspective, the condition of the television industry, of the production of news, and in particular of the public service broadcaster appear in a symbolic role, metaphors for the reconfiguration of relationships between the global and the local. Conclusions on the nature of globalization are linked directly to the research findings. All three case histories are based on interviews with leading participants in exemplar events: the attempts to set up GNN, and to internationalize' NHK; CCTV's defense of its dominant position, under pressure from upheavals both in Chinese society and the government bureaucracy, at the same time as it has itself become a major revenue earner and its role has changed as China enters the WTO; and the establishment, sale and erratic progress of STAR TV. This is contextualized through a broader discussion about the role of public service broadcasters, and of information and communication generally. A causal layered analysis is applied, with a concluding argument in favor of public service television. Several models are suggested, and four scenarios offered, to indicate how public service television could develop.