Public Relations Review 38 (2012) 935–937 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Public Relations Review Research in brief Media manipulation in the Sanlu milk contamination crisis Shari R. Veil a,* , Aimei Yang b,1 a Risk Sciences Division, Department of Communication, College of Communication and Information, University of Kentucky, 310D Little Library, Lexington, KY 40506-0042, United States b Department of Communication, University of Dayton, St. Joseph Hall Room 121, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-1410, United States a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 6 March 2012 Received in revised form 27 June 2012 Accepted 7 August 2012 Keywords: Crisis communication Media relations Media non-transparency Chinese media a b s t r a c t This study analyzes crisis communication strategies in a transitioning media environment, specifically, Sanlu Group’s crisis communication strategies during a quality control crisis in China. Analysis reveals Sanlu manipulated its relationships with local Chinese government and media to reduce media coverage and online searches regarding the contamination of infant milk formula. The case provides evidence that media can be pressured into manipu- lating information flow through both traditional and online media and suggests a need for additional research on crisis communication in transitioning media environments. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Much of the research on crisis communication and media relations takes for granted that organizations operate in inde- pendent media environments. However, this is not always the case. In fact, in some countries, organizations can manipulate media relationships to keep a crisis from making headlines. In 2008, Sanlu, a Chinese dairy company, was able to temporarily impede media coverage during a product quality crisis that ultimately sickened almost 300,000 children, killed at least six infants, and spurred the demise of the Chinese dairy industry. This study demonstrates how organizations can take advan- tage of a transitioning media system to limit the coverage of an emerging crisis. A brief description of media transparency in China is provided, the case is detailed, and Sanlu’s crisis communication strategies are analyzed to demonstrate further need for public relations research in transitioning media environments. 2. Media transparency in China Media transparency refers to the ideal condition that media are objective and not subject to outside influence. As the Chinese media system has transitioned from state-run to primarily market-oriented, several forms of influence on the media have emerged. First, central government still controls important party media like the People’s Daily, and local government can still influence local media coverage (Chen, 2009). Second, some journalists receive benefits for covering or omitting certain news. An international index ranked China first among 66 countries where media bribery is most likely to occur (Kruckeberg, Tsetsura, & Ovaitt, 2005). Third, because the market-oriented system in China is still developing, these media rely on just a handful of advertisers that can greatly influence how their business is covered (Tsetsura & Grynko, 2009). * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 859 257 9470. E-mail addresses: shari.veil@uky.edu (S.R. Veil), ayang1@udayton.edu (A. Yang). 1 Tel.: + 1 937 229 2053. 0363-8111/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.08.004