Update | China to grant 'more' press passes - but journalists must sign secrecy deal first
State media regulator says 250,000 journalists expected to be granted press certificate, after they sign agreement not to share information
Mainland journalists are now forced to sign a secrecy agreement with their employers before they can obtain a press pass, in another step in the party's tightening grip on the media.
Journalists for the first time will have to sign the confidentiality agreement as a prerequisite to the press certificate, a unique system on the mainland that gives holders access to significant state events and official interviews.
Central government departments tend to grant interviews only to reporters who carry the certificate.
Under the agreement - which comes in force today - journalists should not release information they get from interviews, press conferences or other events on their personal blog, microblog or their messaging app WeChat without their employers’ consent.
They are also banned from referencing this information in public events, such as forums, and passing on tips to the foreign media or writing columns for them.
Mainland reporters, who work under heavy censorship, sometimes pass on information they are not allowed to pursue to foreign media.