Current policy issues
Censorship Policy
In recent years, mainly 2010 to 2015, China has been very strict on what can be printed to the public. The Chinese Constitution gives citizens the right to print, speak, and publish what they want. But, policy enacted in recent years allows the government to crack down on stories that they feel exposes state secrets and threatens national security. In China, they don't have a precise definition of what "state secrets" are, so they are able to regulate any media that they claim reveals state secrets.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, "The Chinese government is in a state of 'schizophrenia' about media policy as it goes back and forth, testing the line, knowing they need press freedom and the information it provides, but worried about opening the door to the type of freedoms that could lead to the regime's downfall.”
In May 2010, the government issued its first white paper on the Internet that emphasized the concept of “Internet sovereignty,” requiring all Internet users in China, including foreign organizations and individuals, to abide by Chinese laws and regulations. Chinese Internet companies are now required to sign the “Public Pledge on Self-Regulation and Professional Ethics for China Internet Industry." So basically, if you don't self regulate what you are publishing, the government will regulate it. Weekly, guidelines are sent out from the Communist Party Propaganda center. Many Chinese don't have access to articles or websites that the US has. In 2012, the New York Times was blocked due to information on Chinese politics.
In China, recently, they have been cracking down on journalists they feel are a threat. At the end of 2014, there were fourty four journalists imprisoned in China for supposedly "revealing state secrets". Incidents like this are due to the recent policy enacted and these incidents will probably continue to happen in the future.
In recent years, mainly 2010 to 2015, China has been very strict on what can be printed to the public. The Chinese Constitution gives citizens the right to print, speak, and publish what they want. But, policy enacted in recent years allows the government to crack down on stories that they feel exposes state secrets and threatens national security. In China, they don't have a precise definition of what "state secrets" are, so they are able to regulate any media that they claim reveals state secrets.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, "The Chinese government is in a state of 'schizophrenia' about media policy as it goes back and forth, testing the line, knowing they need press freedom and the information it provides, but worried about opening the door to the type of freedoms that could lead to the regime's downfall.”
In May 2010, the government issued its first white paper on the Internet that emphasized the concept of “Internet sovereignty,” requiring all Internet users in China, including foreign organizations and individuals, to abide by Chinese laws and regulations. Chinese Internet companies are now required to sign the “Public Pledge on Self-Regulation and Professional Ethics for China Internet Industry." So basically, if you don't self regulate what you are publishing, the government will regulate it. Weekly, guidelines are sent out from the Communist Party Propaganda center. Many Chinese don't have access to articles or websites that the US has. In 2012, the New York Times was blocked due to information on Chinese politics.
In China, recently, they have been cracking down on journalists they feel are a threat. At the end of 2014, there were fourty four journalists imprisoned in China for supposedly "revealing state secrets". Incidents like this are due to the recent policy enacted and these incidents will probably continue to happen in the future.