December 28 — Chinese journalist and blogger Fu Jianfeng (傅剑锋) posted an insider’s account [translated at ESWN here] of contacts between himself and his “deepthroat”, a whistleblower offering information on a medical fraud case. The posting offers a sketchy but rare view into the workings of watchdog journalism, or “supervision by public opinion”, in China.
December 29 — China’s top broadcast regulator, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), announced it would take action against online TV stations, referring to those sites advertising themselves as “stations” and offering their own content in addition to video-shared content [more from Danwei.org here].
December 30 — Huang Liangtian (黄良天), editor of Popular Masses (百姓), a magazine published by China’s Ministry of Agriculture, was dismissed from his position and moved to a lesser publication. Media observers speculated the move was due to hard-hitting investigative coverage of worker’s rights and illegal land seizures by officials. [More from Reporters Without Borders here].
January 1 — As Peking University held face-to-face admissions interviews, prospective students were reportedly asked a series of tough social questions, including whether they supported a real-name registration system for the Chinese Internet. Other questions included their views on a number of Chinese cities limiting migrant workers, whether scientists should be involved in politics and business, and what their views were on Hunan TV’s immensely popular Super Girls singing contest.


David Bandurski

CMP Director

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