PRESS freedom and social responsibility are inseparable and the media must help promote social stability and not controversy, a veteran mainland editor said.
Speaking at a conference on journalism held in Wan Chai yesterday, chief editor of the Press and Publishing Journal Sun Yuemu said there could be no press freedom unless it was taken in the context of social responsibility.
''The degree of freedom varies from country to country. There is always a degree of freedom. The question is only how much [freedom],'' Mr Sun said.
''The press has the responsibility to channel people's opinions . . . not just to report objectively what's happening in the society,'' he said.
Mr Sun told the conference of the spectacular growth in the media industry in China. For example, he said, China had a total of 186 government-registered newspapers in 1978, with the number soaring to 1,952 by September this year.
Advertising revenue had also skyrocketed in the past 10 years. According to Mr Sun, such revenue for mainland newspapers jumped from 70 million yuan (about HK$94 million) in 1983 to 1.62 billion yuan last year.
The television industry had not lagged far behind, he said. By the end of 1992, China had 586 television stations, with their audiences jumping from 30 per cent of the population in 1980 to 81.3 per cent last year.
