China's national anti-pornography and anti-piracy office on
Tuesday launched a nationwide campaign to crack down on false news
reports, unauthorized publications and bogus journalists in order
to "maintain the credibility of news media and safeguard the public
interest".
Liu Binjie, vice director of the office, said officials would
thoroughly inspect the market of newspapers and periodicals across
the country, crack down hard on illegal publications and correcting
publishing "irregularities" during the two-month campaign.
"The campaign aims to clamp down on illegal news coverage and
eliminate any spread of false news," said Liu, also director of the
General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP).
It would also clamp down on unauthorized newspaper branch
offices in which people without press cards took bribes or extort
money from local companies in return for favorable news
coverage.
Zi Beijia, a temporary employee of the Beijing Television
Station, who fabricated a news item on Beijing dumpling makers
using cardboard as a filling, was on Sunday sentenced to one year
in jail with a fine of 1,000 yuan for the crime of "commodity
defamation".
(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2007)