Yan Cong

In July 2013, veteran Chinese journalist Liu Jianfeng posted an announcement on the Chinese microblog Weibo confirming his intention to become an independent investigator and writer. In a country where all media remains state-owned, Liu’s plan was a bold one. He promised to produce four to six independent, investigative stories in the coming year, and to fund his costs by crowdsourcing. His financial target was 250,000 yuan (about US$40,000). “I would like to be an independent writer and social issue observer. With the help of supporters, I will be able to conduct investigations and to reveal the problems during political reforms, and to tell people’s stories during social changes,” Liu said in his July post. Liu’s move was bold, not just because he had given up the benefits and security of working for traditional media, but also because of his outspokenness about wanting to leave behind the Chinese government’s censorship and constraints, which he had spoken about in a recent video for the Committee to Protect Journalists.