China intensifies check on journalistic conduct

BEIJING - China has told its media groups to stick to laws and regulations when running their local offices and keep a check on reporters.

News organizations at all levels were urged to shut down local offices that fail to meet standards and dismiss unlawfully recruited employees, said a Wednesday statement by the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and the State Internet Information Office.

"Some news groups have too many local offices and employ personnel through unofficial channels, resulting in frequent illegal acts that severely undermine the spirit of journalism, harm the authority and credibility of news and lead to grave social consequences," the meeting was told.

Key news websites supervised by central authorities must gain approval to set up sub-sites for local regions. Illegal websites or offices must be shut down by the end of March.

China is worried by journalistic fraud. In April, authorities revoked the license of a newspaper for applying for press cards with counterfeit personal documents and selling them to unqualified people involved in blackmail.

Cases of journalists demanding money for covering up negative stories or releasing promotional ones -- largely fabricated -- have been routinely exposed.