National Press and Publication Administration, Radio and Television Administration: Journalists and press stations are prohibited from conducting critical reporting without the consent of their own units.
The National Press and Publication Administration, Radio and Television Administration issued a notice on the 18th, requiring all news units to conduct centralized inspections and cleanups of press stations, websites, business departments, and editorial departments, seriously rectify any existing violations of laws and regulations, ensure proper news gathering procedures, prohibit press stations from conducting cross-industry or cross-field reporting, and prohibit journalists and press stations from conducting critical reporting without the consent of their own units.
The circular also pointed out that news media must strictly control the review of reports, prohibiting journalist stations and journalists from privately setting up websites, local channels of websites, special editions, or internal references to publish critical reports; they must also strictly control business activities, prohibiting journalist stations and editorial staff from establishing advertising, distribution, public relations, or other types of companies, prohibiting journalist stations and journalists from engaging in advertising, distribution, sponsorship, or other business activities, and prohibiting the assignment of advertising and distribution business tasks to journalist stations and editorial staff.
A relevant official from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television stated that press, publication, radio, film, and television administrative departments at all levels should intensify efforts to crack down on news extortion and fake news, repeatedly publicize reporting hotlines through news media, and extensively mobilize grassroots units and the public to participate in supervision. For news organizations confirmed to have engaged in news extortion, paid news, or paid silence, if the circumstances are serious, their publication licenses will be revoked; for journalists confirmed to have used news gathering activities to seek improper benefits, their journalist credentials will be revoked; for those suspected of crimes, they must be transferred to judicial authorities for criminal liability according to law; for heads of news organizations responsible for management, they must be transferred to the disciplinary inspection and supervision departments of their superior supervisory units to pursue party discipline and government disciplinary responsibility.
The official also introduced that grassroots units and individuals can report problems immediately if they are discovered. The special action reporting hotline of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television is 010-65212870, 010-65212787; the reporting hotline of the Cyberspace Administration of China is 12377; the reporting hotline of the National Office for the Elimination of Pornography and Illegal Publications is 12390.
