China is planning to further tighten controls over the media's coverage of emergency incidents, with the introduction of fines for reporting unauthorized information, state media said yesterday.
The standing committee of the National People's Congress is considering a bill on how the government responds to emergencies such as industrial accidents, natural disasters or health and social crises.
The draft law stipulates that news media which breach China's various vaguely defined censorship rules by reporting such incidents without approval may be fined up to 100,000 yuan (US$12,500), the Beijing News said.
"If news media breach rules by releasing information regarding the situation about the handling of emergencies and their development, or reporting false information ... [they] will receive a fine of between 50,000 and 10,000 yuan," it reported.
The draft law stresses that local governments should disseminate information regarding emergencies.
"But it is an exception if the release of information may jeopardize the handling of emergencies," the Beijing News said.
The draft law also reportedly states local governments have the responsibility to oversee and "manage" media reports.
The proposal comes against the backdrop of what foreign rights and media groups have described as a sustained media crackdown. At least 32 journalists were in prison in China as of early this year.
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