"Assignment: China" is a multi-part documentary telling the story of the journalists who covered China for American News Organizations from the 1940s to present day. The media had played a decisive role in shaping American public opinion of and policy toward China.

Nowhere was this more true than during President Nixon's visit in 1972, where TV images and news reports profoundly changed negative perceptions of China in the United States. "The Week That Changed the World" includes interviews with the journalists, and with Nixon aides and Chinese officials who sought to shape the coverage.