The State Internet Information Office of China has urged increased vigilance in cracking down on fake news on the Internet.
The office said in a circular that all news websites must ensure the reports they publish are "true, comprehensive, objective and impartial."
It forbids running news that sacrifices truthfulness for the purpose of being first, or directly quoting content on social networking platforms as news.
The circular has demanded that websites give credit to the original news source and bans publishing hearsay as news or distorting facts.
A number of heavyweight news portals, including Sina.com.cn, 163.com, caijing.com.cn, qq.com and toutiao.com were either fined or disciplined for running news that broke the rules, according to the office.
The office was established in 2011 to direct, coordinate and supervise online content management and handle administrative approval of businesses related to online news reporting.
An official said the office will maintain strict control over fake news and information, and further improve legislation to regulate the spread of news online.
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 130349 
