The

International Federation of

Journalists (IFJ) is dismayed to learn that China’s Central and provincial

propaganda departments have issued a new order banning media reporting on any

matter related to threats made by Hubei province governor Li Hongzhong against a

Beijing Times reporter on February 7.

The

order bans all media reporting and online discussion about an incident on February

7 in which Li refused to answer a Beijing

Times journalist’s question, demanded the name of her employer, confiscated

her recording device and threatened to contact her boss. The journalist had

reportedly asked Li about a case in Hubei

in May 2009 when a hotel worker allegedly murdered a police officer.

The Bejing Times is a sister newspaper of

the state-owned People’s Daily.

The

altercation was widely reported in newspapers across China

but was notably excluded from reports in the local Communist Party-owned En Shi newspaper in Hubei. 

The

new order forced all newspapers to remove any articles related to the incident

from their websites and public discussion forums were it had become a hot topic

for netizens.

Several

restrictions related to the murder case were issued in May 2009. At the time,

the orders banned independent reporting of the case as well as reports on

violent interactions between local government officials and journalists trying

to report on the case.

The

IFJ calls on China’s Central and provincial governments to end bans on news

content and to honour Premier Wen Jiaobo’s recent promises for more open and

unrestricted media policies.

On

March 5, Premier Wen assured the National People’s Congress of the Government’s

commitment to improving China’s

press freedom status by creating policy that promotes open and free media

environments, including greater public recognition of the role of independent

media as watchdogs on government transparency.

“Interference

in media content and reporting at any level of government is contrary to

Premier Wen’s promise of genuine free access to information and press freedom

in China,”

IFJ General Secretary Aidan White

said.

“While

the IFJ welcomes reports of new policies to promote a more open and free

working environment for China’s

media, it is deeply frustrating to learn that these promises have already been

undermined by the issue of a new ban on media reporting.”

For further

information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ

represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide