Media Wars: China Takes on CNN

It's not uncommon to hear complaints about biased media coverage wherever you go, and ironically right now some of the loudest criticisms towards the Western media are coming from a country with state-controlled media: China.

Generally, government officials can be fairly critical of Western perspectives, but the Tibetan issue has hit a raw nerve with many Chinese, prompting websites blasting the foreign media coverage in Tibet.  One site, anti-cnn.com invites visitors to "see the lies" that the mainstream media has told about China.

They've claimed of unfairly cropped pictures, and unjust depictions of the protests.  Some of the footage from Nepalese or Indian protests was shown as Tibetan protests, and the descriptions of monks just wasn't violent enough for many.  

While many Chinese are fuming, and continue to do so, I don't think these types of details and criticisms really matter to the average international reader.  For that matter, how many of us really understand the intricacies of the vast majority of ethnic conflicts that span across our international headlines?

Of course, on the other side of the spectrum, the Olympic torch-lighting disruption by Reporters Without Borders, has been ostensibly absent from many Chinese media accounts.  Even within China, the information on Tibet has been extremely controlled and limited, making it virtually impossible for Chinese citizens to receive any information beyond the descriptions from the government. 

Perhaps at the most basic level, there's a fundamental misunderstanding between the way Chinese perceive Tibet compared to the way many overseas perceive the situation. 

From a Chinese perspective, Tibet is China, and siding with Tibet undermines their national sovereignty.  Being in favor of the Tibetan independence, at some level isn't just anti-Chinese government, it's anti-China.

On the other hand, many abroad view the Tibetans as religiously, ethnically, and culturally different than Han Chinese, and are looking at the conflict through the lens of human rights and religious freedom.

These two sides will continue to conflict, and perspectives might become increasingly polarized as the Olympics approach.  While the Olympic flame might shine brilliantly as it makes it way around the world, it seems to be illuminating several areas of tension along its path.