(December 31, 2001) Sources say the pressure on the Chinese media has become so intense that the Southern Metropolis News recently decided to cut back on coverage of news that would offend the authorities.

(Excerpt)

Mainland internet companies are expecting new controls over their content that would prevent them from posting political and current affairs articles published by metropolitan newspapers on their websites, sources said. But articles from magazines and party newspapers would be exempt from the soon-to-be-announced directives, the sources said, adding that metropolitan newspapers were targeted probably because they ran more negative news. … Sources said the pressure had become so intense that the Southern Metropolis News recently decided to cut back on coverage of news that would offend the authorities. “The leaders decided that in order for the newspaper to survive we had to stop covering political and currents affairs news for the time being. We are comfortable enough with our share of newspaper readership to be able to do this,” a source from the paper said.

South China Morning Post, December 31, 2001

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