Breaking | Publisher sacked at outspoken Chinese political magazine Yanhuang Chunqiu
Management reshuffle at 25-year-old journal comes after years of intense pressure to soften editorial stand
The publisher of an outspoken and influential Chinese political magazine was sacked and its chief editor demoted on Tuesday, according to a cultural ministry academy overseeing the journal.
Yanhuang Chunqiu, a 25-year-old journal with a reputation for forthright articles that contest official versions of Communist Party history, has had the backing of various retired senior party and government officials but has come under pressure from the authorities in recent years to soften its editorial stance.
The Chinese National Academy of Arts, with which the magazine is affiliated, issued a notice dated Tuesday about the appointment of new management at the journal, including a new publisher, deputy publishers, chief editor and deputy editors.
Among those dismissed is publisher Du Daozheng. Du, 93, a former chief of the General Administration of Press and Publication, the government censor, was an influential leader of the magazine’s staff and respected by retired cadres.
The academy said Du “is too old” and the reshuffle was based on guidelines from the party’s Central Organisation Department and the official news censor.
“The supervising department has sent people to the office to take over. A discussion is under way,” a source told the South China Morning Post.