No organization or individual shall disturb or stop legal news reporting as it is under the protection of the law, the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) said Thursday.
Journalists shall be protected by their agencies when covering news and the Party and government departments shall facilitate their legal news reporting, the GAPP said in an open letter to all Chinese journalists marking the 8th Journalists Day which fell Thursday.
"Journalists are the members of our society to help push forward democracy, civilization and social development. They also form an important force to inform people, promote social justice and harmony," the GAPP said.
In a notice issued Monday, the GAPP admitted that some organizations and individuals had meddled in journalists' legal news reporting and, in some cases, journalists had been beaten and their equipment destroyed.
The GAPP will try its best to protect the legal rights and interests of reporters, it said in the letter.
The GAPP did find that some people were disguising themselves as reporters to commit crimes like fraud and news fabrication to make money, the letter said. "We will crack down on such criminals as we did before in a bid to protect the image of journalists and credibility of news media."
It also warned journalists to avoid accepting money from organizations in return for writing favourable stories and stick to moral code.
"Journalists should report the true voice of the people, promote the right and lash the wrong," it said.
The GAPP launched a nationwide campaign in August to crack down on false news stories, unauthorized publications and bogus journalists.
In August, Zi Beijia, a temporary employee of the Beijing Television Station, fabricated a news story on Beijing dumpling makers using cardboard as a filling.
Zi was later sentenced to one year in jail with a fine of 1,000 yuan for the crime of "commodity defamation". |
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