What should I do if there are objections during the public announcement period of the Shenzhen Good News selection? Lawyer explains in detail the reputation rights and procedural compliance in honor selection

Introduction: Legal boundaries behind a public list

On October 9, 2026, the Shenzhen Journalists Association, Shenzhen News Society, and Shenzhen News Talent Foundation jointly announced that 201 works will be selected for the 2025 Shenzhen Good News Collection and Exhibition Activity, including 40 specially recommended works, 71 recommended works, and 90 shortlisted works. The public notice period is 5 working days, from October 9th to October 14th, accepting supervision from industry insiders and various sectors of society, and announcing four objection channels: telephone, fax, letter, and email.

From a lawyer's perspective, this is not an ordinary industry list. The public announcement of the selection process involves procedural justice, protection of reputation rights, legal responsibility for reporting false information, and remedies for the selected individuals who encounter false reports. Whether it is participating journalists, submitting units, or industry insiders who are preparing to raise objections, they need to be clear: the right to supervision has boundaries, the right to report has costs, and procedural compliance is the lifeline of the credibility of the selection.

1、 The legal nature of the public notice period is not a formality, but a rigid requirement of procedural justice

The public disclosure system belongs to the "informing and listening to opinions" stage in administrative procedures in law. Although the selection of good news in Shenzhen is organized by industry associations and does not fall under administrative licensing or penalties, it follows the procedures of the China News Award and the Guangdong Good News Selection Method to establish a public disclosure process, which is essentially the principle of due process in industry autonomy.

Article 1025 of the Civil Code stipulates that if a person carries out news reporting, public opinion supervision, or other acts for the public interest that affect the reputation of others, they shall not bear civil liability, except in any of the following circumstances: fabricating or distorting facts; Failing to fulfill the obligation of reasonable verification of seriously untrue content provided by others; Using insulting language or other derogatory language to tarnish the reputation of others. This article is understood in reverse: raising objections during the public notice period, if based on true facts and reasonable suspicion, constitutes legitimate supervision; If fabricated facts and malicious reports are made, it may constitute infringement of reputation.

In practice, many participants mistakenly believe that "publicity is just going through the motions". But the lawyer reminds that the public notice period is the legal window for raising objections. Once missed, it is extremely difficult to claim procedural illegality in the future. The Shenzhen Good News Selection Office clearly states that it will "carefully accept and verify reported information", which means that every real name objection may trigger substantive review.

2、 The legal consequences of false reporting: from reputation infringement to false accusation and framing

The public announcement welcomes opinions from all sectors of society, but opinions do not mean that accusations can be made at will. If the informant fabricates facts such as plagiarism, forgery, bribery of judges in the submitted works and spreads them to the selection office or public channels, it may trigger three layers of legal responsibility.

The first layer is civil infringement of reputation rights. According to Article 1024 of the Civil Code, civil subjects enjoy the right to reputation, and no organization or individual may infringe upon the right to reputation of others through insults, defamation, or other means. If the participating journalists and reporting units result in a decrease in social evaluation due to false reporting, they may request the informant to stop the infringement, apologize, and compensate for the losses. In reputation disputes, the Shenzhen court has a strict examination of the three elements of "scope of dissemination", "subjective malice", and "damage consequences". Once infringement is determined, the amount of compensation awarded ranges from thousands to tens of thousands of yuan.

The second layer is administrative responsibility. If the informant repeatedly sends false information through telephone, fax, or email, disrupting the normal work order of the selection office, it may violate Article 42 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law and face detention or fines.

The third layer is criminal responsibility. If the informant fabricates facts with the intention of subjecting the participants to criminal prosecution, and the circumstances are serious, it may constitute the crime of false accusation and framing under Article 243 of the Criminal Law. Although reports in news selection usually do not involve criminal prosecution, if the reported content involves criminal clues such as fraud and corruption in the evaluated works and is completely untrue, the risks are real.

Lawyer's suggestion: When raising objections, they should focus on the factual issues of the work itself, such as "a certain work is highly similar to a published article" or "the order of authorship of a certain work does not match the actual situation", and attach preliminary evidence to avoid using insulting language such as "plagiarism dog" and "scammer".

3、 How can participants protect their rights when they receive false reports?

If the participating journalists or reporting units are falsely reported or even publicly disseminated during the public notice period, they should respond in three steps.

The first step is to fix the evidence. Save screenshots, emails, and recordings of the reported content, and record the dissemination platform and time. If the reported content is posted on public platforms such as WeChat groups and Weibo, blockchain certification or notarization can be used for evidence collection.

The second step is to submit a written explanation and supporting evidence to the selection office. The verification process of the Shenzhen Good News Selection Office is an internal procedure. Participants have the right to submit materials such as proof of originality of their works, interview records, and publication timestamps, and request verification of whether the report is true.

Step three, initiate legal proceedings as appropriate. If the informant refuses to retract the untrue content and the scope of dissemination expands, they may file a lawsuit for infringement of reputation rights with the court, demanding an apology and compensation for mental damages. If the reported content involves malicious defamation of internal competition in the industry, one can also file a complaint with the Shenzhen Journalists Association and request that it be handled in accordance with industry self-discipline standards.

Special reminder: Participants should not directly engage in "online verbal abuse" with whistleblowers during the public notice period, as this may escalate the original industry dispute into a public event and expand negative publicity. After the lawyer intervenes, disputes can be brought into legal proceedings by sending a lawyer's letter, applying for platform deletion of posts, filing a lawsuit, and other means.

4、 Compliance insights from the selection process: how organizers can prevent legal risks

For the organizers, public disclosure is not only about accepting supervision, but also a "safety valve" for their own compliance. According to Article 1025 of the Civil Code, if the organizer provides false descriptions of the evaluated works or fails to fulfill the obligation of reasonable verification of the reported content in the public announcement, they may also bear liability for reputation infringement.

The lawyer suggests that the organizer should do three things during the public notice period: first, keep a complete record of the objection acceptance, including telephone recordings, email archiving, and letter registration; The second is to designate a dedicated person to verify each objection and provide feedback within a reasonable period of time; Thirdly, if any problems are found with the work, it should be promptly withdrawn and announced to avoid "selection with defects".

As a highland of the national news industry, Shenzhen's credibility in the selection activities directly affects the industry ecology. Program compliance is not a constraint, but a protection - protecting both the legitimate rights and interests of participants and the organizers from legal disputes.

Conclusion: The balance between supervisory power and reputation power requires legal demarcation

The public announcement period for the selection of good news in Shenzhen is only 5 working days, but the legal issues involved behind it are not simple. For industry insiders, raising objections is a right, but the right cannot be abused; For participants, silence is not the only option when facing false reports, and the law provides a complete remedy path.

Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm has long focused on the fields of news media, reputation rights, and procedural compliance. It can provide legal services such as objection response, reputation protection, and compliance review for journalists, industry associations, and enterprises and institutions. The law is the clearest boundary between honor and supervision.