China’s Communist Party silences former critic, the liberal Nanfang news group
With papers like Southern Weekly, Nanfang Media hit government hard and often - but after overhaul it will avoid negative stories
The once outspoken Nanfang Media Group has adopted a raft of measures to align it with the Communist Party, weed out “negative” reports and ensure staff toe the official line.
Some employees had already been punished for transgressions dating to 2013, according to a report this week in the Nanfang Daily News.
Former editors saw the changes as the final nail in the coffin for what was once the best media outfit on the mainland and further evidence the leadership would tighten its grip on the industry nationwide.
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The group underwent an inspection by the Guangdong provincial discipline watchdog in April and was roundly criticised in an assessment released the following month.
A reform task force was being led by the group’s party secretary Mo Gaoyi, who stepped down as deputy director of the provincial propaganda department in 2013.
The measures include strengthening the group’s party membership base and stepping up editorial management, according to the report.
Study sessions had been running since March and employees would be referring to instructional materials on Marxist news values.