Xinhua: Trying to Save a Dying Monopoly

The Associated Press is reporting that the Chinese government has announced a ban on the distribution of news by foreign news agencies in China, except through Xinhua News Agency, the government-controlled local newswire. What this basically means is that Reuters, AP, UPI, Bloomberg, Agence France-Presse, Kyodo, and others like them cannot sell news content directly to China's newspapers, magazines, television stations and websites.

Inevitably, there will be a lot of deep contemplation about what is driving China's "media crackdown" coming out in the media. This is to be expected - after all, there is nothing the media hates more than the specter of censorship. Apart from the ideological issues, it's just plain bad for business.

...In reality, I suspect this is as much about money as politics...