This book analyzes the relationship between political power and the media in a range of nation states in East and Southeast Asia, focusing in particular on the place of the media in authoritarian and post-authoritarian regimes. It discusses the centrality of media in sustaining repressive regimes, and the key role of the media in the transformation and collapse of such regimes. It questions in particular the widely held beliefs, that the state can have complete control over the media consumption of its citizens, that commercialization of the media necessarily leads to democratization, and that the transnational, liberal dimensions of western media are crucial for democratic movements in Asia. Countries covered include Burma, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

1. Mediating Political Transition in Asia Krishna Sen 2. 'Chinese Party Publicity Inc.' Conglomerated: The Case of the Shenzhen Press Group Chin-Chuan Lee, Zhou He and Yu Huang 3. The Curse of the Everyday: Politics of Representation and New Social Semiotics in Post-Socialist China Wanning Sun 4. The Emergence of Polyphony in Chinese Television Documentaries Yingchi Chu 5. Vietnamese Cinema in the Era of Market Liberalization Chuong-Dai Hong Vo 6. 'Not a rice-eating robot': Freedom to Speak in Burma Nancy Hudson-Rodd 7. Revolutionary Scripts: Shan Insurgent Media Practice at the Thai-Burma Border Jane M. Ferguson 8. Thai Media and the Thaksin Ork Pai (Get Out!) Movement Glen Lewis 9. Framing the Fight Against Terror: Order versus Liberty in Singapore and Malaysia Cherian George 10. Regime, Media and the Reconstruction of a Fragile Consensus in Malaysia Zaharom Nain 11. Gestural Politics: Mediating the 'New' Singapore Terence Lee 12. Media and Politics in Regional Indonesia: The Case of Manado David T. Hill 13. Out There: Citizens, Audiences and the Mediatization of the 2004 Indonesian Election Philip Kitley