The media regulator on the Chinese mainland has vowed to strengthen the vetting of television programmes and severely punish people responsible for those found to be ridiculing state policies or hyping social media trending topics, its deputy director says. China expected to bar all foreign media companies from publishing ‘creative works’ online Tian Jin, deputy director of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said in a commentary published by the People’s Daily , the party’s mouthpiece, that the country’s media workers at “mainstream” media outlets – newspapers, TV and broadcaster stations – should closely follow the party line and show “unlimited loyalty” to the party and the people. Programmes that are hyping trending social hot topics, ridiculing state policies, disseminating wrongful views, advocating extreme views, and sparking conflicts will be severely punished Tian Jin, deputy director of China’s media regulator His article, published on Sunday, comes weeks after the country’s top graft buster, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, criticised the country’s propaganda department for failing to shape public opinion and promote the party’s point of view forcefully enough. The commentary said media workers should strictly comply with “propaganda disciplines”, which are not only a principal request for all media organisations, but also act as guarantees so that they will prosper. “[Media organisations] should resolutely overcome a tendency to ignore disciplines and rules,” the commentary said. “[They] should not provide any ways for promoting wrongful ideas and voices. “Programmes that are hyping trending social hot topics, ridiculing state policies, disseminating wrongful views, advocating extreme views, and sparking conflicts will be severely punished,” the commentary says. Chinese censor pushes liberal magazine to brink of closure, says former chief editor Following Tian’s pledge, the administration on Sunday issued strict limits on programmes that are copies of foreign TV shows so as “to boost innovation and the creation of original works”. The directive said some TV channels were “too dependent on broadcasting foreign-inspired programmes” and did not have original ideas. Only original TV programmes with Chinese cultural inheritance “can better carry the ‘Chinese Dream’ themes, the socialist core values, as well as patriotism and Chinese fine traditions”, the article said. New rules stipulate that all satellite TV channels will be allowed to broadcast only two programmes with imported copyrights during prime time from 7.30pm to 10.30pm every year. Such programmes need to have the approval of local regulators in order to be broadcast on satellite channels. Reality shows with imported copyrights have become an instant hit on the mainland over the past few years, including Running Man , Where Are We Going, Dad? and The Voice of China . Only one new such programme is allowed to broadcast every year, but it cannot be broadcast during prime time periods in the first year. The shows will also be allowed to broadcast only one season each year.