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This was no ordinary Saturday in Beijing.
This was International Pillow Fight day.
Two years ago, it was stopped by the police.
So I was also curious to see if this year it is going forward,
and if people will have the opportunity to have fun in the street.
I think 2008 was a sensitive year. It was the Olympics.
There were four armored cars, one ambulance
and there were maybe around three dozen policemen there.
And that was the time when there was chaos in Tibet.
At that time, the "China Daily"
was Beijing's only English-language newspaper.
It didn't write a line about the standoff.
I intend to write a story anyway, even if it is shot down.
Ever since the "Global Times" was launched a year ago,
it's been pushing the envelope.
Last June, the State-authorized newspaper broke a taboo.
It wrote a story about the 20th anniversary
of the bloody 1989 crackdown on students in Tiananmen Square.
The headline was typical for stories challenging the State censors.
It innocently talked about the prosperity along the central boulevard
that tanks once rolled down.
The "Global Times" regularly writes about citizen protests,
and government abuses of power.
It's outspoken about violence against reporters.
It writes about censorship and media freedoms.
As China's economic influence grows,
the government is eager to have its voice heard around the world.
So it's expanding the nation's foreign language media.
China doesn't have very influential newspapers or media outlets.
We hope to be the strongest English-language newspaper in Asia,
and I think that's possible.
To reach that goal, the "Global Times" is giving foreign reporters
a bigger say in the newsroom.
Foreign nationals account for nearly half the staff.
"If there is a fight, great, we'll have a story and photos. If there isn't, ..."
The interaction between the foreigners and the Chinese
will have an impact on the quality of our news reporting.
It will eventually have influence on news reporting in China.
The government is also asking officials to abandon their typical secrecy
and become more outspoken.
And it's turning to international public relations firms for help.
Scott Kronick, president of Ogilvy's China operation,
conducts training for government spokespeople.
What we tell them is transparency is necessary.
We tell them that all news doesn't have to be rosy.
That's something new to the Chinese government.
Because when they spoke before, everything was just wonderful,
but they've begun to get comfortable with the communication of bad news.
That's a welcome trend for reporters at the "Global Times."
At an editorial meeting, an old-school fluff story about Chinese interest
in foreign art was shot down.
"You don't have a theme. You really don't have a topic."
"There's no angle."
A story about controversial webcam striptease
in the privacy of an individual's home got a thumbs up.
"I'd like to find some people who do this."
"By men and by women."
But despite such breakthroughs,
and greater openness on the streets of Beijing,
other taboos remain firmly in place.
When it comes to censorship, the "Global Times"
bans staff from talking about it.
Sharing the information with foreigners could lead to charges
of leaking State secrets, or a jail term.