The Power of Narrative 2023

Reporting on China has long been one of the most challenging and crucial of journalistic assignments. Foreign correspondents have confronted war, revolution, isolation, internal upheaval, and onerous government restrictions as well as barriers of language, culture, and politics. Nonetheless, American media coverage of China has profoundly influenced U.S. government policy and shaped public opinion not only domestically but also, given the clout and reach of U.S. news organizations, around the world. Former CNN Beijing bureau chief Mike Chinoy, author of "Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People's Republic,"  will discuss how multiple generations of American journalists have covered China, and what lessons their experiences hold for understanding the country today.