Government and Communist Party Move to Increase Regulation of Reporters and Editors
In the first four months of 2005, the Chinese government has promulgated several laws to regulate news reporters and editors. While ostensibly intended to curb what the state-controlled news media portrays as rampant corruption and fraud in Chinese journalism, these new rules and regulations also dictate who may engage in journalism, what their political orientation must be, and when they must submit to Party and government censorship:
In the first four months of 2005, the Chinese government has promulgated several laws to regulate news reporters and editors. While ostensibly intended to curb what the state-controlled news media portrays as rampant corruption and fraud in Chinese journalism, these new rules and regulations also dictate who may engage in journalism, what their political orientation must be, and when they must submit to Party and government censorship:
- On February 16, Xinhua reported that the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) had promulgated two new regulations: the "Measures for the Administration of Journalist Accreditation Cards," (Measures) and the "Measures for the Administration of News Bureaus." According to Xinhua, the Measures restrict "legal" news gathering and editorial activities to those holding a government-issued Journalist Accreditation Card.
- On March 22, Xinhua reported that the Communist Party's Central Propaganda Department, the GAPP, and the State Administration for Radio, Film, and Television had jointly issued a set of regulations entitled "Interim Rules for the Administration of Those Employed as News Reporters and Editors." According to Xinhua, these rules require that news reporting and editing personnel must, among other things, support the leadership of the Party, focus on "correct propaganda" as their guiding principle, and have a firm grasp of "correct guidance of public opinion."
- On April 1, SARFT issued its "Interim Implementation Rules for Administration of Those Employed as Radio and Television News Reporters and Editors." These rules state: "With respect to reports on breaking events relating to minorities and minority areas, it is necessary to have a cautious grasp, and ask for instructions from the relevant government agency in a timely manner."
On April 23, the People's Daily reported how editors and managers from several primary central government and Party publications - including the People's Daily, Xinhua, the Guangming Daily, and the Economic Daily - were working to implement the Rules. It now appears that provincial level authorities are moving to carry out the requirements set forth in the Measures, and on May 9 the Gansu Daily published a summary of a meeting that authorities from Gansu's Propaganda Department, Press and Publication Administration, and Administration for Radio, Film, and Television convened together with editors from several of Gansu's primary news media organizations.
See below for excerpts from the Gansu Daily's summary.
The Gansu Daily article, entitled "Summary of Statements of the Province's Primary News Work Units at the Forum to Study and Implement the 'Rules'," included the following summaries:
Zhang Jiachang: Provincial Propaganda Department Deputy Director, Provincial Radio and Television Office Director
It is necessary to strictly supervise and strictly discipline. To conscientiously carry out the Rules and further strengthen the supervision of the ranks of news workers is an important responsibility of the Party and the government, and is an important guarantee of using correct public opinion to guide people's internal needs, and promote the healthy development of journalism.
It is necessary to strengthen self discipline and accept supervision. . . . [T]he promulgation of the Rules makes public the Party's demands regarding news work and those engaged in news work, what news reporters and editors should do and should not do, and what methods and behaviors are incorrect, and in this way encourage news workers to accept social supervision.
Li Yuzheng: Provincial Press and Publication Office Deputy Director
Safeguarding social stability, guaranteeing the interests of the masses, and regulating the normal order of news reporting and editing activities is an important responsibility of the press and publications executive department, and in order to carry out the effective implementation of the "Interim Rules Regarding the Administration of those Engaged in News Reporting and Editing," the provincial Press and Publication Office shall further strengthen its supervision and administration of all periodical publishers, news bureaus and news reporting and editing personnel in accordance with relevant laws and regulations . . . . We shall primarily investigate whether in recent years all newspaper publishers and news bureaus have worked to build up the ranks of news reporters and publishers and journalistic ethics, regulate news reporting behavior, supervise news reporter accreditation cards, and what primary methods they have adopted in implementing the Rules, the "Measures on the Administration of Journalist Accreditation Cards," and the "Measures on the Administration of Newspaper Bureaus."
The focus of our investigations and prosecutions shall be news organizations that expand the scope their assignment of journalist accreditation without prior authorization, or who engage in illegal behavior by copying journalist accreditation cards without permission, or utilizing expired journalist accreditation cards. . . . At the same time, our office will actively assist public security and commercial agencies in severely striking down and punishing illegal activities such as fake reporters illegal news bureaus.