China May Fine News Media to Limit Coverage

CHINA MAY FINE NEWS MEDIA TO LIMIT COVERAGE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Joseph Kahn]
Chinese media outlets will be fined if they report on "sudden events" without prior authorization from government officials, under a draft law being considered by the Communist Party-controlled legislature. The law would give government officials a powerful new tool to restrict coverage of mass outbreaks of disease, riots, strikes, accidents and other events that the authorities prefer to keep secret. Officials in charge of propaganda already exercise considerable sway over the Chinese news media, but their power tends to be informal, not codified in law. More than 100 million Chinese have access to the Internet, and hundreds of commercially driven newspapers, magazines and television stations provide a much wider selection of news and information than was available in the past. But Chinese authorities have sought fresh ways to curtail reporting on topics they consider harmful to social and political stability.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/world/asia/27clampdown.html
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* Chinese Media Law Would Require Consent
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/26/AR200606...