BBC reports that officials in Shenzhen are being required to be more accountable to the media:
From 1 December, officials could be sacked or reprimanded if they do not respond quickly to media requests.
Chinese media is tightly controlled by the state and independent investigative reporting is rare.
Shenzhen’s policy follows a relaxation of restrictions on foreign journalists after the Beijing Olympics.
“We are determined to change the random, passive and disorderly situation surrounding government press releases,” Su Huijun, the director of Shenzhen’s municipal press office, said.