Reporters banned over court coverage
Six Guangdong journalists deemed out of line in writing details of divorce case
The Guangdong Higher People's Court has barred six local court reporters from attending trials for six months after they filed reports that were not approved by the authorities.
The ban, in a notice issued late last month, - is a rare move by the judiciary to try to lay down parameters on how far reporters can go in reporting non-political cases.
Propagandists in the mainland keep a close watch over politically sensitive reports but often leave uncontroversial stories alone.
The six reporters were representing major official newspapers in Guangdong such as the Nanfang Daily, Yangcheng Evening News and Guangzhou Daily. They were barred because their reports about a recent divorce case were deemed to be out of line by authorities.
The reporters, who were not available for comment yesterday, were quoted by News Weekly saying they could not understand their punishment and saying their careers had been seriously affected by the ban. News Weekly is published by the official news agency, China News Service.
Court officials claimed the reporters divulged unsubstantiated details of a divorce case that had a negative influence on the trial.
'The court hasn't made a final decision on the case, but those reporters made their own verdicts,' the notice said.
Facing fierce competition, many newspapers clamour to cover sensational court cases.
'I think the courts have no right to ban journalists,' said a reporter with the Procuratorial Daily, a newspaper run by the Supreme People's Procuratorate - the country's top prosecution office.
In the court case in question, the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court ruled that the wife was entitled to almost one million yuan in property belonging to her ex-husband but said she must also share his liabilities.
In the notice, the Guangdong Higher People's Court did not specify if the media reports were incorrect. However, in June, the same court issued an eight-point directive saying reporters could attend court hearings but were not allowed to report cases before verdicts had been handed down.
Media organisations in Guangdong questioned the decision, saying it contradicted a transparent justice system.
'Media supervision is also essential to courts. The media represents the public's right to know,' the Procuratorial Daily reporter said.
She added that it would be another setback in attempts to establish a free press if the directive was left unchallenged and implemented nationwide.
Li Kun, a journalism professor at Peking University, said: 'Whether or not the courts have the right to issue this directive is questionable.'
