Chinese media in the context of China's rise have puzzled many scholars who used to

understand media and communications phenomena by employing the theories generated

from a few affluent Western democracies, notably the US. As a result, a complex but more

accurate picture has been ignored. Under numerous theoretical polarizations, the

contemporary social world seems little changed but polarized. This thesis aims to propose

a different approach endeavoring to 'de-Westernize' or 'internationalize' media and

communications studies. As a starting point, this study focuses on the globalization debate,

Chinese media and news agency studies.

The thesis has investigated the Chinese news agency, Xinhua, by employing Fuzzy Logic

which captures the complexity of the change in the agency's business structure and

journalistic practices over last 25 years. The change is also examined by scrutinizing the

role of journalists in the interrelations of Xinhua with its news sources, media and nonmedia

clients, and other news agencies. A combination of archive study and 94 semistructured interviews conducted in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau and

London provides an inclusive account of the Chinese news institution.

The key research findings drawn from the empirical research into Xinhua have justified the

central argument of this thesis: Crisp Logic or the 'either/or' approach has failed to explain

the dynamics of the change to the media system based in a 'non-Western' society. The

numerous theoretical polarizations generated by Crisp Logic to a large extent have

distorted the understanding of the contemporary social world by polarizing it. Fuzzy Logic

serves better(though it is not the only choice)than the traditional approach to reflect on the

set of variables existing between the two poles created by Crisp Logic.

This thesis is the first doctorate research in the UK and other English-speaking countries to

investigate Xinhua by 'going inside' the news institution's headquarters, local branches

and overseas bureaus. This is the first comprehensive academic study of the agency, which

not only examines the agency's recent change in business structure and journalistic

practices, but also provides a historical account of the agency and its relationship with

other social institutions. This is the first media study that employs Fuzzy Logic to

understand the globalization theory, Chinese media and news agencies