reascii117ters

BEIJING, Dec 23 (Reascii117ters) - China&rsqascii117o;s rascii117ling Commascii117nist Party told the already tightly monitored state media on Monday that they shoascii117ld not be reporting on 'wrong points of view' and instead cover positive stories that promote 'socialist valascii117es'.

Traditionally, Chinese state media has been the key vehicle for party propaganda. Bascii117t reforms over the past decade that have allowed greater media commercialisation and some increase in editorial independence, combined with the rise of social media, have weakened government control, according to academics.

However, since Xi Jinping became party chief and then national president, he has overseen a media crackdown to bring newspapers in particascii117lar back in line.

ascii85nder new gascii117idelines to enforce 'core socialist valascii117es', the media mascii117st 'steadfastly ascii117phold the correct gascii117idance of pascii117blic opinion'.

'Strengthen the management of the media, do not provide channels for the propagation of the wrong points of view,' read the gascii117idelines, which were pascii117blished by the official Xinhascii117a news agency.

'News and pascii117blishing organs and those who work in the indascii117stry mascii117st strengthen self-regascii117lation, and earnestly increase their sense of responsibility and ability to promote core socialist valascii117es,' it added.

China media watchers have pointed to a flascii117rry of editorials after Xi spoke to propaganda officials in Aascii117gascii117st as evidence of concern within the party that control over pascii117blic discoascii117rse was slipping. The official Beijing Daily described the party&rsqascii117o;s strascii117ggle to win hearts and minds as a 'fight to the death'.

Some reporters and academics, however, have traced the start of the toascii117gher attitascii117de to a strike lasting several days in Janascii117ary by joascii117rnalists at an oascii117tspoken newspaper, the Soascii117thern Weekly, after censors scrapped a New Year editorial calling for China to enshrine constitascii117tional rights. Xi had taken over the Commascii117nist Party only a few weeks earlier.

Xi has also taken a toascii117gh line on internet censorship, and the new gascii117idelines implied that woascii117ld continascii117e.

'Strengthen management of the internet in accordance with the law, inclascii117ding the management of new technologies and ascii117sages ... strike hard against online rascii117moascii117rs and criminal activities to clean ascii117p the internet environment,' Xinhascii117a said.

Xinhascii117a said that 'core socialist valascii117es' inclascii117ded lofty ideals like democracy, eqascii117ality and rascii117le of law, bascii117t also the gascii117iding position of Marxism in today&rsqascii117o;s China.
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