PRAGUE -- A remarkable incident has emboldened Chinese journalists. Earlier this year, the government suspended publication of the newspaper Bing Dian Weekly, provoking unprecedented open protest, which received extensive media coverage worldwide.
Even more surprisingly, the government, under the pressure of public opinion, has allowed Bing Dian to resume publication. The editor in chief and deputy editor in chief were sacked, but the open questioning of the legitimacy of the government's authority to regulate journalism is bound to have a profound impact.
Foreign observers are prone to associate the Bing Dian incident with other recent crackdowns on China's mass media, and to conclude that Chinese journalistic freedom is hopeless under existing rules.