Minorities in the Official Media

This article documents and provides an explanation for changing levels of government attention to minority populations in the People's Republic of China. Employing a content analysis of People's Daily (Renmin Ribao) newspapers published between 1949 and 1989, the author demonstrates that a relationship exists between periods of heightened interethnic tensions and greater levels of official media attention to minority groups.This proves true even though the news items published in the wake of minority-centered protests and violence typically do not describe acts of opposition. The author further finds that the state's favored propaganda tactic when confronting ethnic-based resistance movements is to emphasize the economic and social benefits enjoyed by minorities under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. The article concludes by considering the implications of these findings for understanding the relationship between authoritarian governments and their minority populations.