New Delhi: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed ‘grave concern’ over China’s move to restrict self-publishing by journalists and censor online content, saying that a “vibrant society in which citizens can express opinions freely is key to development and progress”.
The move, touted as part of the annual renewal of press credentials for media workers by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), will mean that authorities will look into whether journalists operate “we-media” on public social media accounts and publish information they acquire in the course of their work.
Those who do not abide by the rules will risk being punished or even having their credential suspended. IFJ said, “The vaguely defined new rule comes at a time when “self-media” has gained huge popularity in China and journalists have begun using such platforms to publish work which was axed by their organisations.”
Individuals working at newspapers, broadcasting companies, TV stations, news websites, and news production studios are subject to the campaign.
“Self-media” has become increasingly popular in China. It involves journalists and amateurs publishing on independently operated social media accounts using platforms such as WeChat, Weibo.
According to Taiwan News, the campaign involves looking for violations such as “publishing work-related information on such media accounts”. The notice outlaws spreading “disinformation or fake news, creating news for personal gain, and moonlighting for jobs associated with journalism”.
Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao reported that changes to how people access information have propelled Chinese journalists to resort to “we-media” – referring to online news sources operated by individuals or collectives, often amateurs. “The trend also reflects the need to find an outlet to publish news and express views amid ever stricter control of news content from the authorities,” Taiwan News said.
IFJ said that the campaign to curb online speech also targets public social media accounts, which can be created by businesses, celebrities or individuals, as well as by news organisations. On January 22, the Cyberspace Administration of China published amended rules to “ban fabricating information, tagging false sources, misleading the public, and committing plagiarism, among other actions”, IFJ said.
The cyberspace watchdog justified this by claiming that during the COVID-19 outbreak, “a small number of ‘we-media’ accounts had fabricated and disseminated online rumours, as well as arbitrarily disclosing other people’s privacy”. The CAC said this behaviours “had seriously undermined social harmony and stability and left the interests of others marred”.
This is a possible reference to citizen and independent journalists who criticised China’s early response to the coronavirus outbreak. The government has moved to detain many journalists who exposed its attempts to cover up the outbreak.
In late December, independent journalist Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years imprisonment for the crime of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”.
Also read: How China Is Trying To Control the COVID-19 Origins Narrative
China has consistently ranked as one of the worst countries for journalists and has a low freedom of media ranking. Data released in December 2020 showed that China is the worst jailer of journalists, with 47 scribes being in prison there.
The revised rules will take effect from February 22 and will hold public accounts and social media companies accountable for “problematic online activities”. They are intended to “maintain a good communications order” and “preserve a healthy cyberspace,” the agency said, according to IFJ.
Meanwhile, the Indian government has floated proposals for mandatory registration of digital news providers without defining who exactly is a provider — a company, an individual journalist, a blogger or a Facebook user. It has, however, so far not envisaged such sweeping new restrictions as China is now implementing. However, several criminal complaints and police cases have been filed since the advent of the pandemic last year against bona fide news reports that painted various state governments or leaders in unflattering colours.
IFJ’s complete statement is reproduced below.
§
China has tightened control over media workers with a new rule that bans journalists from self-publishing news via social media accounts. The Chinese cyberspace watchdog also amended its internet regulations to crack down on what it sees as fake news or harmful activities by public social media accounts. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expresses grave concern over Beijing’s increasing grip on the press and stresses that a vibrant society in which citizens can express opinions freely is key to development and progress.
On January 19, China’s National Press and Publication Administration announced that the annual review of journalists’ accreditation would be conducted from January 20 to March 19. In particular, the authorities will look into whether journalists operate “we-media” on public social media accounts and publish information they acquire in the course of their work. Those who do not abide by the rules will risk being punished or even having their credential suspended. The vaguely defined new rule comes at a time when “self-media” has gained huge popularity in China and journalists have begun using such platforms to publish work which was axed by their organisations.
The campaign to curb online speech also targets public social media accounts, which can be created by businesses, celebrities or individuals, as well as by news organisations. On January 22, the Cyberspace Administration of China published amended rules to ban fabricating information, tagging false sources, misleading the public, and committing plagiarism, among other actions.
The cyberspace watchdog noted that during the COVID-19 outbreak, “a small number of ‘we-media’ accounts had fabricated and disseminated online rumours, as well as arbitrarily disclosing other people’s privacy”. The CAC said the behaviours “had seriously undermined social harmony and stability and left the interests of others marred”.
The revised rules, which take effect from February 22, will hold public accounts and social media companies accountable for problematic online activities. They are intended to “maintain a good communications order” and “preserve a healthy cyberspace,” the agency said.
The IFJ said: “The IFJ expresses grave concern over Beijing’s increasing grip on the press and stresses that a vibrant society in which citizens can express opinions freely is key to development and progress.”