China: Mainland Website With News Broadcasts Reportedly Shut Down

Text of report by Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post website on 20 March

The mainland has ordered the closure of a website offering news broadcasts over the internet, in a move aimed at tightening control over media content.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (Sarft) said operators of the “China International Chinese Television Station” website had engaged in illegal reporting, state media said yesterday.

The website, www.ccztv.com, could not be accessed yesterday and the background of the operators is not known.

Authorities blacklisted eight web TV companies in December as part of a campaign against unauthorized broadcasts. Authorities criticized the websites for several violations, including showing news broadcasts, setting up news bureaus and reporting on events.

Of the original eight, some had shut down, changed their content or changed their names in the past three months, Xinhua said.

China keeps a tight grip over media content, censoring material it deems politically sensitive or pornographic. The mainland also limits websites to reproducing content from state-approved media.

Sarft also banned television broadcasters and publications from using internet platforms for releasing information.

The order is the latest in a long line of moves by television broadcasting authorities to put their stamp on content. Last August, the mainland banned television stations from airing foreign cartoons during prime time.

More recently, Sarft said television anchors from Hong Kong and Taiwan would be limited to guest roles on mainland programmes and ordered networks to limit prime-time programming to “ethically inspiring” dramas.

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring Media. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.