Good morning Beijing

NZ journalist Edwin Maher, the first Western news anchor on Chinese state television, has received China’s highest honour for foreigners. Maher was awarded the Chinese government’s “Friendship Award” in a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People. Maher has been the Western face of Chinese broadcasting since 2003, when he was hired by China Central Television’s English Channel (CCTV-9). He has often been criticised by his Western contemporaries for being a mouthpiece for China’s communist leadership. “You can never please everybody all of the time,” he says in response. “But you can try within the parameters of the system and environment that the broadcasters operate to provide a better standard of news bulletin.” Maher began his broadcasting career in Wellington in 1965 at what is now Radio New Zealand National. He also worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for nearly 20 years.