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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| China censorship row: 'Deal' at Southern Weekly | China censorship row: 'Deal' at Southern Weekly |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Reports from China suggest journalists at a newspaper embroiled in a censorship row are returning to work after an agreement was reached. | Reports from China suggest journalists at a newspaper embroiled in a censorship row are returning to work after an agreement was reached. |
| Staff at Southern Weekly had demanded that a top propaganda chief step down after a New Year message was changed. | Staff at Southern Weekly had demanded that a top propaganda chief step down after a New Year message was changed. |
| Reports said that the provincial Communist Party chief, high-flier Hu Chunhua, had intervened to defuse the situation. | Reports said that the provincial Communist Party chief, high-flier Hu Chunhua, had intervened to defuse the situation. |
| The row was a rare public clash between journalists and the authorities. | The row was a rare public clash between journalists and the authorities. |
| It provoked reaction online, leading to small protests outside the paper's Guangdong headquarters and an apparent show of support by several other news portals and publications. | It provoked reaction online, leading to small protests outside the paper's Guangdong headquarters and an apparent show of support by several other news portals and publications. |
| 'Simplistic' | 'Simplistic' |
| The row began when a New Year message in the paper - a well-respected publication also known as Southern Weekend - that had called for guaranteed constitutional rights was changed by censors prior to publication. | The row began when a New Year message in the paper - a well-respected publication also known as Southern Weekend - that had called for guaranteed constitutional rights was changed by censors prior to publication. |
| Staff wrote two letters calling for the provincial propaganda chief, Tuo Zhen, to step down. Another row then erupted over control of the paper's microblog when a message was posted denying that the piece had been changed, and a number of staff went on strike. | Staff wrote two letters calling for the provincial propaganda chief, Tuo Zhen, to step down. Another row then erupted over control of the paper's microblog when a message was posted denying that the piece had been changed, and a number of staff went on strike. |
| On Tuesday, an editorial from the state-run Global Times blaming the incident on "activists outside the media industry" was republished on multiple news sites - the result, according to reports, of a government directive. | On Tuesday, an editorial from the state-run Global Times blaming the incident on "activists outside the media industry" was republished on multiple news sites - the result, according to reports, of a government directive. |
| But several major news portals carried a disclaimer saying they did not endorse the piece and a number of newspapers did not run it, in an apparent show of solidarity. | But several major news portals carried a disclaimer saying they did not endorse the piece and a number of newspapers did not run it, in an apparent show of solidarity. |
| Reports citing sources both from the paper's staff and people close them said a deal to end the dispute was agreed on Tuesday evening. | Reports citing sources both from the paper's staff and people close them said a deal to end the dispute was agreed on Tuesday evening. |
| Thursday's edition would be published as normal and most staff would not be punished, Reuters reported. Other details of the agreement are not clear. | Thursday's edition would be published as normal and most staff would not be punished, Reuters reported. Other details of the agreement are not clear. |
| However, online reports citing microblogs suggest the row may have widened to include a well-known daily, Beijing News. Unconfirmed reports said its publisher had resigned over pressure to publish the Global Times editorial; other reports say he is still at work. | |
| In another editorial, meanwhile, the Global Times said that press freedom "must have limits". | In another editorial, meanwhile, the Global Times said that press freedom "must have limits". |
| "It is simplistic to think that China's news management system only protects the interests of the government," it said. | "It is simplistic to think that China's news management system only protects the interests of the government," it said. |
| "China's news management system is walking a difficult tightrope between the nation's development and the development of its media." | "China's news management system is walking a difficult tightrope between the nation's development and the development of its media." |