A Chinese draft law that threatens to fine the news media for reporting on "sudden incidents" without permission applies to foreign as well as domestic news organizations, an official involved in preparing the legislation said on Monday.
The law, now under consideration by the parliament, calls for fines of up to US$12,500 for unauthorized reports on outbreaks of disease, natural disasters, social disturbances or other so-called sudden incidents that officials find to be false or harmful to China's social order.
Wang Yongqing (
"I think they should be included -- the same as if a Chinese reporter goes to France or Britain, he also has to abide by your laws," Wang said, responding to a reporter's question about the law's applicability to foreigners.
"It's aimed at the activity. If you engage in reporting activities, you also have to obey these rules," he said.
Foreign news organizations with offices in China face travel restrictions and are monitored closely by security forces.
But authorities in charge of propaganda generally have not tried to censor foreign news reports the way they have those of domestic publications. As a result, foreign newspapers, magazines and broadcast news outlets sometimes investigate delicate political and social issues, including outbreaks of disease and protest incidents, that the local news media cannot report on freely.
It was unclear whether Wang's comments, made after he delivered prepared remarks to a group of mainly foreign reporters at a briefing, represented a government decision to impose new limits on foreign news outlets, or were an expression of his personal views.
The briefing was held to reassure the news media that the primary purpose of the proposed law was to punish government officials who did a poor job of managing sudden incidents, like health emergencies or coal mine accidents.
The main thrust of the proposal sets rules for holding public officials accountable for the way they manage and report emergencies.
The clause pertaining to the news media, Wang said, was included to prevent malicious behavior by journalists who willfully misled the public.
But the briefing may not quiet an unusually vigorous backlash from Chinese news organizations, a few of which have labeled it a step backward for press freedom.
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