A newly published study argues that blogs are playing a big role in shaping foreign journalists’ coverage of China. Thanks to Will Moss for the tip.

According to the report’s author, Rebecca Mckinnon, blogs are especially important to China hacks as the China ’story’ is not dictated by any one dominant issue, but rather requires detailed understanding across a range of themes, each of which demand specialist insight and where information and where on the record quotes, formal or informal, can be tricky to gather.

MacKinnon, a former CNN bureau chief in China, further notes that blogs are now a standard part of most journalists’ regular reading on the country with some 90% , but that they are evaluated individually according to the author’s track record and reputation.

Two blogs that score particularly highly are EastSouthWestNorth by Hong Kong-based researcher Roland Soong and Danwei from Beijing-based consultant Jeremy Goldkorn. Both set out to shed light on China, collating, (sometimes) translating and analysing latest developments in Chinese news and media and technology respectively.

Unsurprisingly, blogs emerge as the favoured online source for emerging stories, analysis and expert opinion, reflecting the fact that blogging outside of social networks has taken on a role similar to that in the west ie. a platform for personal opinion and professional advancement (if not, yet, for company communication), though in China’s case, it has also been subject to some well-documented nationalistic flag-waving (eg. Starbucks in the Forbidden City).

Meantime, discussion boards, which remain highly popular perhaps in part thanks to their anonymity, in part due to the sheer range of topics and numbers of participants, are considered useful for guaging public opinion.

With more of China’s 140m+ internet users going to the net for news and information (source: CNNIC 2007 Statistical Report - pdf) than receiving it on TV or print, organisations doing business in China would do well to keep an eye on the internet as a whole ie. both blogs and boards - for the latter are usually the source of stories about products, the former where these stories are shaped and promoted.