factual reporting and listed the students' demands. A major breakthrough was the televised 'dialogue' between student representatives and State Council officials on April 29th, the first one of its kind in the history of the People's Republic, followed by a second one with Mayor Chen Xitong on April 30th. The announcer of the 'National News Hookup' program featuring the meetings started off by explaining that the government officials had a,
. . .candid conversation with the students on the issue of punishing official profiteers, clean government, educational development, how to view the current student strike, and other questions. They voiced their determination to relay the students' suggestions to the responsible comrades concerned accurately. (Yi & Thompson, 1989, 206)
On May 3rd, Beijing Television Service aired the entire press conference which focused on the students' demands and was held by State Council spokesman Yuan Mu for both Chinese and foreign journalists. That day's issue of People's Daily (Renmin Ribao) printed the Xinhua News Agency's story about student demonstrations in Shanghai, making note of some of the banner texts, for example: "We Want Democracy and Freedom." The momentum of the media surged in pace with the movement's.
May 4th has often proved to be a milestone in Chinese history. The May Fourth Movement of 1919 is honored in China as the first time students initiated a mass movement not only to protest against government policies, but also to spread new ideas. Shortly after the founding of the People's Republic it was declared National Youth Day. The students' demonstrations on May 4th drew hundreds of thousands of onlookers, who cheered and marveled at the jubilant, but non violent atmosphere. For the first time journalists joined the marchers under their own banners demanding "Support the World Economic Herald" and "Reinstate Qin Benli." Television and newspaper reports of the day consist...