August 13 – Chinese media reported the sentencing of Zi Beijia, the freelance reporter for Beijing TV who allegedly faked a news report about fake dumplings being sold on the streets in Beijing. Zi was sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to pay a 1,000 yuan fine. [More from Danwei.org].
August 14 — CMP analyzes the upward trend in use of the term “inner-party democracy” as the 17th National Congress approaches. [More].
August 15 – China’s broadcast regulator and censor, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) announced the latest in a series of actions this year on against TV shows it deems as socially harmful. A memo from SARFT ordered the shutdown of “First Heartbeat” (第一次心动), a talent competition show. [More from Danwei.org].
August 16 – According to an account posted on China’s Tianya online forum, journalists covering the collapse of a bridge in southern China [IHT here http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/19/asia/AS-GEN-China-Bridge-Collapse.php] were assaulted by local hired thugs. [Translation from ESWN here].
August 17 — The Paris-based press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for the release of Qi Chonghuai and photographer Ma Shiping, who were reportedly detained for two months after exposing local party corruption. “The behaviour of the police in holding Qi incommunicado for two months is deplorable but unfortunately common in China,” RSF said. “It is also unlikely that Ma is being held for posting photos of an official building on the Internet, even if he is not officially accredited as a photographer.” [More from RSF here].