Update | China’s propaganda chiefs rapped by government inspectors over ‘weak’ efforts to control the internet, media
Comments from discipline commission come amid tightened controls on the media on the mainland
The Communist Party’s propaganda department has been strongly criticised by anti-graft inspectors who say it has failed to take tough or effective action to promote ideology, control the media and the internet, and oversee universities and colleges.
The criticism from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection came after inspectors launched a two-month review of the department in February.
The government has stepped up controls of the media, the internet and ideological oversight of teaching at universities since President Xi Jinping took power more than three years ago.
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The president made highly publicised visits to state media outlets in February, stressing they must show absolute loyalty to the party.
Dozens of rights lawyers, activists and petitioners have also been detained over the past year and the government has warned universities against using textbooks that “promote Western values”.
The inspectors’ feedback to the propaganda department was given at a conference at the end of their review.
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“[The propaganda department] lacks depth in its research into developing contemporary China’s Marxism.
“The effect of guiding art and literature to serve socialism and the people was not obvious enough and the news propaganda is not targeted and effective enough,” Wang Haichen, the leader of the inspection team, was quoted as saying on the commission’s website.
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The department should make news propaganda more “appealing” to take the initiative in setting the agenda and refute “wrong trends of thought”.
Meanwhile, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, China’s press and entertainment regulator, was also blasted by inspectors for “not firmly keeping the correct direction for public opinion”, for weak guidance and influence in news propaganda, and for weak leadership in both traditional and new media.
