internet - Government: winning the propaganda battle

In his fifth chapter Johan Lagerkvist describes the subtle line between news and propaganda in the Chinese context. The picture that emerges is one of a government who has been struggling to deal with the online communication, but is slowly adapting to new realities. That means it can control the larger commercial portals and become more sophisticated in setting up its own, adjusted, propaganda machines on the internet.
Lagerkvist rightfully sees how traditional media feel the heat of the internet:

Nowadays there is much more pressure on newsroom staff to be efficient, well educated, and not least, to have a profit-oriented instinct. It is important to recognize that the pressures associated with media globalization are in fact originating from market liberalization of the domestic media system.

Much of his attention goes to editors of two municipal online newsproviders Qianlong in Beijing and Dongfang in Shanghai, who are crucial in adopting the old-fashioned propaganda machine into a credible online operation. This is what the Qianlong editor tells him about the discussion on the 'well-off society':

Of course, this welfare society issue gets much attention from, and is closely related to the interest of, ordinary people. Well, how to realize this notion of xiao kang then? What kind of guarantees are there for it? There are questions like these that the masses of netizens are intensely interested in reading. This is not only shouting out empty slogans, there is also real and original content to be found, not of the empty sort.

While within the context of this subject, the choice of both municipal portals makes sense, I'm not sure how they would fit into the struggle for the hearts and minds of the online Chinese. The suggestion is that they are becoming much better, being part of the government of course increases the information within the Chinese setting. But are they really influencing the debates on the internet in China? Or do the former propaganda officials are just happy with a more limited position in society?
The internet is agenda-setting, writes Lagerkvist:

Even now, in a relatively calm period in which Chinese citizens are experiencing record economic growth and increasing prosperity, we are witnessing how these electronic meeting-places on the internet have shown themselves to influence Chinese courts and party officials and how agenda is set in the traditional mass media.

But the relationship between the players is still shifting. The government has an advantage, while commercial players do not want to jeopardize their position. One thing is sure: this playing field is still moving.
Earlier entries on "The Internet in China" by Johan Lagerkvist you find here and here and here.