New political news website scolded by party propaganda officials for 'incorrect practices'
Thepaper.cn given a 'stern warning' after it likely irked propaganda officials
A popular online news website received a stern warning from China’s ideology authorities to toe the line, just weeks after its official launch.
Thepaper.cn, widely perceived as a key player in President Xi Jinping’s vision to establish a “new media” industry, was scolded for “improper practices” by the Cultural Security and Ideology Construction Research Centre – but there were scant details on what those mistakes were.
“The central government officials and relevant departments have conveyed stern criticism of the thepaper.cn for a series of improper practises and requested rectification,” the centre, affiliated to the nation’s main think tank Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said on its verified Weibo account.
It reminded all news media to stick to the “bottom line” before they innovate their reporting and warned that “no media is exceptional” or exempt from the rules.
Zhu Jidong, deputy director of the research centre, told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday that the warning was conveyed at a recent meeting with senior officials from the central government.
He declined to give more details, saying the message was confidential, but hinted that the website might have crossed a line laid by the powerful Propaganda Department of the Communist Party’s Central Committee.