They have previously been hailed by the media for their courage as workers of conscience who have fought corruption and defended the interests of farmers.
Now the group of journalists and others have teamed up to launch the first magazine aimed at educating farmers about their rights.
Gui Xiaoqi, the chief editor of the Rural Edition of China Reform Magazine, which will be launched next Sunday, said the vision to inform farmers of their rights had drawn the editorial and sales team together.
Gui, the former deputy director of a publication under Jiangxi's provincial party committee, was sacked by local authorities two years ago for publishing a booklet detailing the central government's taxes on farmers. The booklet was designed to allow farmers to know what they could and could not be charged for, so stopping local cadres introducing arbitrary fees.
After the sacking, the mainland media came out on Gui's side. Newspapers questioned why farmers were denied access even to public circulars released by the central government and were vulnerable to abuse carried out by local officials.
Gui became friends with Li Changping, the former township chief of Jianli in Hubei province.
Two years ago, Li was forced to leave Jianli after he wrote to Premier Zhu Rongji appealing for lower taxes and levies on farmers.
