Following the brutal murder of Lan Chengzhang in January, the Chinese government has announced new rules aimed at outlawing the common practice of paying for coverage. From AP:
China’s government has ordered newspapers to stamp out the common practice of demanding money from people they cover, a state news agency said Tuesday, after the killing of a newspaper employee drew attention to the seamier side of the industry.
Newspapers also must make sure that only properly accredited reporters are allowed to conduct newsgathering, the China News Service said, citing an order by the national news industry regulator. [Full text]
