China launches campaign against rogue journalists

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 27 March 2014

China has launched a campaign to combat fake news and journalist extortion. This initiative includes enhanced reporting hotlines for public intervention.

Summary

BEIJING: China Thursday launched a nationwide campaign to crack down on fake news and prevent journalists and newspapers from extorting money in return for stories.

The campaign would seek to "prevent extortion by news reporting and contain the spread of fake news", Xinhua reported citing an official statement. The campaign, organizers say, would involve more hotlines and online platforms for the public to report malpractice by journalists and newspapers.

The campaign, jointly launched by the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and eight other government ministries and offices, will make journalists' personal information more accessible in case people need to check their identity, the statement said. - IANS

KEY POINTS:

• Campaign targets fake news and journalist malpractice.
• Involves public hotlines to report issues.
• Joint effort by government and Communist Party agencies.
• Aims to make journalists' information more accessible.
• Response to growing concerns over media integrity.