Senior Censorship Agency Official Says Communist Party Must Control News Media

January 3, 2006

Shi Feng, a Deputy Director of the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), described the position of the government and Communist Party on state control over newspapers and periodicals in an October speech to the National Newspaper and Magazine Administration Work Meeting (via the People's Daily Web site). Shi's remarks came a month after the GAPP issued new regulations governing newspaper and periodical publishing in China in September. Deputy Director Shi's views were published again in an article in the November edition of "Media" magazine (via the Xinhua Web site).

Shi Feng, a Deputy Director of the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), described the position of the government and Communist Party on state control over newspapers and periodicals in an October speech to the National Newspaper and Magazine Administration Work Meeting (via the People's Daily Web site). Shi's remarks came a month after the GAPP issued new regulations governing newspaper and periodical publishing in China in September. Deputy Director Shi's views were published again in an article in the November edition of "Media" magazine (via the Xinhua Web site).

Shi emphasized that, while authorities should give play to "socialist market forces," they must not abandon the "battlefield" of public opinion, and instead should "occupy the marketplace" and "consolidate the Party's propaganda" to ensure continued Party supervision of public opinion. Shi said that the government is transforming how it administers China's newspaper and periodical publishing industry to allow publications to be "welcomed by readers." At the same time, he said, the government seeks to ensure that the Party retains control over who gets to publish and that publications "maintain the correct orientation." Shi's statements included the following:

Shi also outlined several problems with newspapers and periodicals that are publishing legally, including:

  • Orientation problems: Shi said that a minority of newspapers and periodicals have exhibited "political orientation problems," and continuously test government regulators' "political acumen." According to Shi, orientation problems include: "denying the leading position of Marxism," "violating the Party's line," "divulging state secrets," "jeopardizing national security," "harming the nation's interests," and "openly smearing the Party's leaders."
  • Content problems: Shi said that some newspapers and periodicals have inappropriate ideas about how to conduct investigative reporting (sometimes referred to as "public opinion supervision reporting"). According to Shi, investigative reporting must "serve the work of the Party and the government," but that some publishers have "long-standing mistaken ideas" and "go after news without considering the severe negative social consequences that it may produce, believing that this is freedom of the press."

Shi said that China's newspaper and periodical regulatory system remains underdeveloped, and that the government has been unable to stop illegal publishing activities despite having "shut down a large number of illegal newspapers and periodicals." Shi also complained that, despite strict government prohibitions on private and foreign investment in newspaper and periodical publishing, people continue to "illegally enter the newspaper and periodical publication domain." Shi claimed that this represented a threat to the security of China's culture, and that authorities must "adopt measures to resolutely stop this." According to Shi, illegal publishers are "disrupting the order of the newspaper and periodical market" and represent "a serious threat" to the Party's ability to use propaganda to influence ideology.

See below for a summary of the current and proposed newspaper and periodical government administration mechanisms discussed by Shi.
 


Shi noted that the Chinese government currently uses the following mechanisms to control newspaper and magazine publishing in China:

  • A system for controlling who is allowed to publish newspapers and magazines;
  • A system for evaluating and verifying newspapers and magazines;
  • A system for supervising and administering journalists and editors.

Shi also offered the following proposals on how to "transform" government administration of newspapers and periodicals:

Transform "administration through orders" into "administration through laws." According to Shi, the government's administration of newspapers and magazines is "transforming from relying on executive orders to relying on laws and regulations to regulate market behavior."

Make newspaper and periodical content the target of "soft administration." According to Shi, when screening articles to determine what is "inappropriate content," censors should rely on "political sensitivity" and a "sense of responsibility," rather than lists of banned content.

Shift from direct administration to indirect administration. Shi said that government regulators previously "believed that administration meant 'control,' . . . and that the relationship between administrative departments and newspapers and periodicals was one of a superior to an inferior." This kind of "mandate and supervision style of administration" is no longer appropriate under China's current socialist market economic conditions, according to Shi. Rather than rely upon issuing orders and requiring approvals, the government should focus on administrative supervision and macroeconomic regulation. Shi emphasized, however, that this does not mean the government should relinquish control over content, saying "it is necessary to adopt effective measures to keep [the orientation problems of newspapers and periodicals] under control. For example, we must ensure the leading position of Marxism, ensure the correct guidance of public opinion, and insist upon the Party's leadership of the newspaper and periodical industry."

Integrate Screening Systems with Withdrawal Systems. Shi said that, while newspaper and periodical administration agencies have strengthened their screening work, post-publication screening systems "continue to have insufficient appraisal standards with respect to the screening of newspaper and periodical content, and there is not enough standardization of the handling of problems that are discovered in the screening process." Beyond "perfecting" screening systems, Shi said that it is now necessary to integrate screening with a system for "withdrawing" newspapers and periodicals from the market. According to Shi, the government will withdraw publications if their "content orientation, editorial quality and other aspects of overall publishing quality do not achieve the demands of regulations."