Conclusion: retrospect and prospect

This concluding chapter of Digital Journalism in China argues that disruption theory can partially explain what has occurred in the news industry in China. Looking ahead, the state-media-market-technology nexus will likely continue to grow more complex and mutually influential. The Party media and/or central state-owned media will probably maintain their leading position with concentration of resources, whereas the challenges confronting the local market-driven media outlets may be sustained or even grow, prompting perhaps even failure and retreat from the market except in the case of a few influential media. It is hoped that digital technologies (ICTs) will bridge the gap between the new entrants and the incumbents, the new digital native and legacy media, the newsroom and the classroom.