China rules seek journalism cleanup p. 23

By: Editorial Staff

IN A TIGHTENING of press restrictions, China has published a code of conduct requiring reporters to promote communism and cover wholesome news.
The guidelines published in June in the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily, also restated regulations designed to clean up corruption among journalists at the nation's state-run media.
As in Russia, free market reforms overtaking China have infected journalists, who now charge a price to companies in exchange for articles.
Besides forbidding such practices, the code mandates that reporters serve as the party's ears, eyes and tongue and that they promote patriotism, social stability, government policies and healthy subject matter.
"News reports should not publicize pornography, murder, violence, ignorance, superstition and other base and harmful subject matters," the code dictates.
It also requires journalists to protect state secrets of the military, commercial and political varieties.
Earlier this year, a Beijing court sentenced Xi Yang, a reporter for the Hong Kong daily Ming Pao, to 12 years in jail for getting a scoop on interest rate changes and gold transactions.
The new restrictions continue a crackdown on the press begun when journalists joined the pro-democracy protest in the spring of 1989. The government crushed the movement in a deadly military assault on protesters in Tiananmen square.