Order to 'realign' outspoken liberal magazine will end its independence, says publisher
Publisher of Yanhuang Chunqiu, an outspoken publication backed by retired senior officials, voices fears over heightened party control
The outspoken political magazine Yanhuang Chunqiu was ordered by the authorities to switch its organisational affiliation, prompting renewed fears that the publication may be subjected to tightened censorship.
Du Daozheng, the magazine's publisher, told the South China Morning Post yesterday that it had received official notice from the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television on Wednesday that the publication would switch to its new affiliation with the Chinese National Academy of Arts, which is directly under the administration of the Ministry of Culture.
The monthly magazine, noted for carrying articles by retired officials that contest party versions of contemporary history, was affiliated with the Association for Yan Huang Culture of China, a social organisation with ties to the culture ministry.
Many members of Yan Huang are retired senior government officials, which probably contributed to the relative editorial freedom enjoyed by the magazine.
Wednesday's government order said the organisational change must be completed within two months, Du said.
"The authorities just gave the order. Some senior officials told me Yanhuang Chunqiu … might be shut down if we failed to [cooperate with the authorities] by the end of this year," Du, 91, said. "If we agree to be restructured, I am afraid that our magazine's inherent editorial independence will be ruined. And all our articles written by outspoken authors will be expunged under the current censorship system."