HIDING “UNDER THE DOME” 2
Hiding “Under the Dome”
Why the Chinese government endorsed Chai Jing’s film immediately
Chai’s documentary was informative and aroused emotions in viewers regardless of their
status in the government. Ms. Chai, an investigative journalist who also worked as CCTV news
anchor reported that she believed her unborn child had developed a tumor because of air
pollution. Within a day, the film recorded over 110 million views on social media (Hiding
“Under the Dome”). Apparently, film revealed the damage caused by air pollution from Chinese
industrial processes. The government, just as the people endorsed the film-documentary since the
impact on the countries relationships with the rest of the world was not clear at first.
Reasons why the government reneged on its endorsement
Literally, no one would expect the government to respond positively towards a critical
film such as “Under the Dome.” The endorsement, however, was short-lived (Hiding “Under the
Dome”) since government officials soon demanded that the video be pulled down from online
platforms. Critically, the government sought to protect its image in the face of the international
community. As the video went viral very fast, it was evident that it would depict China as the
leading source of air pollution. Nevertheless, government officials still expressed commitment to
implement policies for environmental protection.
The failure of the government from a public relations perspective
The Chinese approach to the issue was a failure since it portrayed the government
negatively from two dimensions. Suspending Ms. Chai for creating the film is a sign of
suppressed freedom of the press and the individual freedom of expression. In any case, Ms. Chai
did not deserve a punishment for sensitizing the people about the level of pollution. Further, the
