Plan to Expand the Influence of Major Media Outlets on Public Opinion
Chinese internet authorities are launching a 'clean-up operation' targeting unauthorized online news to expand the influence of mainstream media on public opinion.
According to local media such as China News Network on the 4th, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced through its official social media account the previous day that it will conduct a three-month "Qinglang (淸朗·clear and clean) - crackdown on illegal internet news information services" campaign until the end of this year.
The head of the administration explained that the crackdown targets news that can mislead the public, including fake news and information that are factually incorrect, exaggerated headlines that are seriously inconsistent with the content, malicious alterations, selective quoting, patchwork editing, and news synthesis or forgery.
Under the pretext of "public opinion monitoring," cases involving the gathering, editing, distribution, reprinting, deletion of news, or threatening or coercing others to provide property through search results, as well as engaging in commercial activities, will also be targeted. The administration also stated that websites or social media accounts that imitate existing news websites or media outlets or distribute information under names such as "news" or "report" will be subject to the crackdown.
The official added in the report, "Websites that edit, reprint, or distribute internet news without government approval or beyond the scope of their license, as well as the forgery, sale, lease, or transfer of internet news service licenses, are also targets for detection." Furthermore, "Websites, social media official accounts, applications, internet live streaming, and various services providing internet news must clearly display their name and license number in a prominent location."
Chinese authorities have been conducting periodic internet clean-up operations since 2021. China typically uses a "propaganda" method where state-run media simultaneously report government announcements without alteration. With the spread of mobile internet, there has been an increase in major incidents that attract public attention being disseminated through video platforms, social media, or non-state media.
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