BIZCHINA> Review & Analysis
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BIZCHINA> Review & Analysis
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Regulation of news portals needed
By Qiao Xinsheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-26 07:50 The emergence of an increasing number of problems and malpractices in the process of the rapid development of China's Internet has made it vital to build a binding legal framework to regulate the fast-growing online sector. Clandestine investigations by some journalists recently show how Internet portals screen information for business purposes, a practice long reviled by Internet users who advocate free dissemination of information. Some persons, let me call them "career Internet watchdogs", have been employed to delete unwanted information from the Internet, according to investigations. These career online guards, mostly ex-journalists, browse through the sea of news and information carried on various influential commercial Internet portals to delete "harmful" information or opinion for handsome remuneration. After years of rapid development, China's journalism is now under a huge threat from omnipresent and rising commercial currents, from widely-abused paid journalism to being paid not to carry certain news and information. When it comes to the Internet sector, more and more portals have chosen to pursue maximum profits. In a typical case after the notorious "Sanlu milk powder scandal", a domestic Internet search operator received a huge amount of money from certain milk manufacturers to delete from its search results news and opinions considered unfavorable.
Some domestic experts and scholars have expressed deep concern over such an Internet operation model, and believe its continuation is likely to result in the erosion of people's right to speech. Such concerns are by no means unfounded given that more and more people have realized it naive to believe that unfettered Internet competition in today's sea of information would help build an open and transparent society. The country's efforts to satisfy people's right to know and increase social transparency would suffer a big setback if domestic commercial Internet portals continue to publish false information to the public or try to conceal the truth from them. People earlier believed that the Internet served as an open platform through which all could express their opinion. It was also believed that in the Internet era, it was impossible to cover up the truth and compromise public interest. However, the truth is Internet portals have to some extent extricated themselves from government control, but have failed to free themselves from the fetters of the profiteering interests. It is not unusual for some commercial Internet portals, seeking maximum profits, to turn to publication of information for commercial reasons. The current operating model by some online search engine operators has aggravated people's worry that denouncement on ethical grounds alone in the absence of strict and punitive legal regulations is likely to fail to pull the sector back onto a much-needed correct track. All these indicate that the development of the Internet in China is facing a deep legal crisis. The birth of a group of career Internet watchdogs is a clear indication that the Internet sector has already come to a critical crossroads and thus desperately needs a scientific legal framework to help steer itself in the correct direction. Some think the Internet sector can turn to self-regulation to solve its problems. But that is unrealistic, given that commercial interests dictate the operations of Internet portals. In view of this, the country should promulgate the long-awaited media and communication law as soon as possible to stop Internet portals from conducting illegal activities and making money through illegal means. The effect of information screening is even worse than paid journalism, given that it is aimed at denying people access to information. In the media and communication law, stipulations on Internet operation models such as news publishing first going through relevant registration procedures and Internet portals getting written approval from publishers if the former decide to delete the latter's published information, should be written in. Also Internet portals should offer reasonable justification for deleting news. The author is a professor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
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