Remote Control: How the Media Sustain Authoritarian Rule in China

Stockmann, Daniela; Gallagher, Mary E.

doi:10.1177/0010414010394773

Cited by 575Media Influence and PoliticsChina's Socioeconomic Reforms and GovernanceMedia Studies and Communication

Remote Control: How the Media Sustain Authoritarian Rule in China

Stockmann, Daniela, Gallagher, Mary E.·2011·Comparative Political Studies

DOI 10.1177/0010414010394773

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Abstract

This study examines the role of the media in sustaining regime stability in an authoritarian context. The article engages the recent work on authoritarian resilience in comparative politics but goes beyond the standard focus on elections to other important institutions, such as the media and courts, that are used by authoritarian leaders to bolster legitimacy. The authors find that the Chinese media contribute to regime legitimacy and effective rule by propagandizing citizens’ experiences in the legal system. However, unlike the “mouthpieces” of earlier communist regimes, the marketized Chinese media provide more convincing and sophisticated messages that continue to accord with state censorship demands while satisfying readers’ interest in real-life stories and problems. The “positive propaganda” and the relative uniformity of information sources because of state censorship lead aggrieved citizens to the law as a realm for dispute resolution and rights protection. Statistical analysis of a randomly sampled survey conducted in four Chinese cities in 2005 demonstrates that exposure to media reporting about labor-law-related issues successfully promotes the image of a proworker bias in the law among citizens, thus encouraging them to participate in the legal system. The state is able to achieve its political goal because of the lack of conflicting sources of information and the lack of previous experience with the reformed legal system among citizens.

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Authors: Stockmann, D., & Gallagher, M. E.
Affiliations: Leiden University (NL)
University of Michigan (US)
Corresponding author: Stockmann, Daniela
ORCID: Stockmann, Daniela
Gallagher, Mary E.
Venue: Comparative Political Studies
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2011-02-14
Volume: 44
Issue: 4
Pages: 436-467
ISSN: 0010-4140 (ISSN-L)
1552-3829
DOI: 10.1177/0010414010394773
OpenAlex: W2126933152
Cited by: 575
References: 73
Citations by year: 2026: 36 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 56 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 40 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 49 · 2017: 44 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 12
FWCI: 55.51
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations: Comparative Political Studies (publishedVersion)
OPUS 4 (Zuse Institute Berlin) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance
Social Sciences › Communication › Media Studies and Communication
Keywords: authoritarian resilience, regime legitimacy, state media, state censorship, legal system, labor law, citizen participation in courts, legal dispute resolution, protection of rights, Chinese media, regime stability

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Remote Control: How the Media Sustain Authoritarian Rule in China

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