The True Cost of Media Relations in China

China’s media landscape has a dark underbelly, dominated by bribery, shoddy journalism, and bad media relations. It creates an insurmountable barrier of entry, both for firms wanting to conduct media relations as part of their public relations strategy in China, and for Chinese firms wishing to expand globally.

The term brown envelope journalism (BEJ), refers to bribing journalists to gain favorable coverage or to kill negative ones. The practice of BEJ is ubiquitous in China’s public relations landscape, and in some cases, has become the only way to do media relations in China.

How prevalent is BEJ? I am confident that every PR professional in China has handed out red envelopes containing wads of cash to journalists at events, media panels, and tradeshows. By this point, bribing journalists to attend events has become standard practice – the first thing I learned as a young PR intern, was how to discreetly stuff envelopes into press kits without pondering the morality of my action.

At events, journalists usually receive $100 - $300 equivalent of “transportation fee,” an industry euphemism for bribery. Accompanying these envelopes are often expensive gifts in the form of luxury items, such as smartphones & jewelry, and services such as all-expense-paid luxury accommodations and vacations, in attempts to circumvent regulations on the limits of cash-gifts.

Of course, there are more straightforward ways to bribery than red envelopes and five-star hotels. Digital payment is now ubiquitous in China, making bribery as easy as sending your favorite journalist cash on WeChat to promote your agenda. I’ve even heard claims of sexual favors being used in PR departments in certain Chinese companies, though I must categorize such rumors as hearsay since there is no substantiating evidence.

BEJ is especially harmful to Chinese firms wishing to break out of their comfort zones and expand internationally. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been asked to kill negative press with money from prospective Chinese clients, and I don’t blame them for asking – bribery is a systemic issue in China, and handing money to journalists is just standard industry practice.

As a former journalist and current PR professional, I can attest to all the claims made in this article, both from what I’ve witnessed personally and what I’ve heard from trusted friends in the industry. Usually, I like to back my claims with data, but no data is available for this bribery epidemic. Despite the lack of numbers, however, one can speculate on the causes of this despicable trend with reasonable confidence:

 Uncompetitive Salary - Traditional media outlets in China are either dying due to the rise of mobile internet or are state-owned. The salary of journalists working for these outlets is often uncompetitive, forcing them to seek alternative means of income.

 No Regulations – Although there are anti-corruption laws in China, law enforcement is nowhere robust enough to eradicate corruption in the media properly. China’s rapid economic development led to a highly deformed media landscape where rigid moral codes regarding corruption never had enough time to develop and mature properly.

Tradition – Bribing journalists has been the industry norm for decades now. Too much inertia is present for this practice to cease, seeing as how handing out money to journalists has become PR 101 for those who are entering the industry.

That is not to say that there are no respectable journalists and PR professionals in China. I’ve been incredibly lucky that my previous agency had strict moral standards and integrity regarding media relations, and most of my journalist friends stood their ground on immoral practices.

The question remains, however –

How does one conduct media relations in China as part of a holistic and ethical PR strategy?

Go Digital – The rise of boutique media and influencers on platforms such as WeChat and TouTiao has mostly rendered traditional media obsolete. They wield considerably more influence on consumer trends and can significantly amplify your reach if targeted correctly. Their modus-operandi typically focuses on sponsored articles, making bribery unnecessary.

Go Vertical – Most vertical media outlets in China are highly specialized with a well-trained team of journalists. They often focus on stories with real value to their respective industries, and bribery is somewhat less prevalent.

Know Your Agency – Bribing the media is not only a local specialty in China but also a prevalent practice in big international agencies. Get to know your agency, try to understand how they are approaching media relations, and intervene if you see something wrong. Most agencies would write off bribery as “media expense,” so pay attention to your invoices.

Know the Law – This is for Chinese firms that are used to media relations in China, and are trying to expand internationally: outside of China, you can’t kill negative or promote positive press with money, but there are tools available, such as traditional media relations maintenance, announcements, placements, and crisis intervention.

At Warpcore Consulting, we are practitioners of ethical communications, public relations, and integrated marketing. I know this might be a shameless plug, but we are proud that we are trying to do things the right way, not the fast way.