Media sponsored by the Party and government must hold the family name of the party (), often abbreviated as Party surnames party media (), is a phrase from a

speech Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...

made by

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

(CCP)

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

in 2016, used to emphasize the supremacy of the CCP over China's

state media State media are typically understood as media outlets that are owned, operated, or significantly influenced by the government. They are distinguished from public service media, which are designed to serve the public interest, operate independent ...

and

mass media Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...

Origins

In December 2015, Xi Jinping demanded that military newspapers must be loyal to the party when he inspected the ''

People's Liberation Army Daily The ''People's Liberation Army Daily'' (), or ''PLA Daily'' for short, is the official newspaper of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Institutionally, the ''PLA Daily'' is the mouthpiece of and speaks for the Central Military Commission, ...

''. On February 19, 2016, Xi visited

Xinhua News Agency Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: ),J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. It is a ...

and other media outlets, and during an investigation at

China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is the State media, national television broadcaster of China, established in 1958. CCTV is operated by the National Radio and Television Administration which reports directly to the Publicity Department of th ...

(CCTV), officials displayed a slogan "CCTV's surname is 'The Party'. e areabsolutely loyal. Ready for your inspection." Later in the day, Xi said in the

Symposium on News Reporting and Public Opinion The Symposium on News Reporting and Public Opinion was a meeting on the news and public opinion work of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) convened by CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping on February 19, 2016. The symposium On the morning of Februa ...

that:

Controversies

Ren Zhiqiang's criticism

Shortly after Xi's visit, Ren Zhiqiang, a property tycoon and party member with more than 30 million followers on

Weibo Weibo (), or Sina Weibo (), is a Chinese microblogging ( weibo) website. Launched by Sina Corporation on 14 August 2009, it is one of the biggest social media platforms in China, with over 582 million monthly active users (252 million daily ac ...

, made a post: "Since when did the people's government become the party's government? Does the money they spend come from party dues? Don't go using taxpayer money to do things that aren't in service of taxpayers," and "when the media are loyal first to the party and don't represent the interests of the people, then the people will be abandoned in a forgotten corner." The posting was removed shortly afterwards, and on February 22, Chinese media outlet Qianlong accused Ren of representing capitalism and attempting to overthrow the CCP. On February 28, the

Cyberspace Administration of China The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC; ) is the national internet regulator and censor of the People's Republic of China. The agency was initially established in 2011 by the State Council as the State Internet Information Office (SIIO) ...

ordered Weibo to shut down Ren's account, saying Ren was spreading "illegal messages". However, Ren was not punished further at the time, which was said to be related to the discontent that existed within the party.

Southern Metropolis Daily incident

On February 20, 2016, ''

Southern Metropolis Daily ''Southern Metropolis Daily'' (SMD) is a for-profit tabloid newspaper located in Guangzhou city, China,Wang, Xiaotong. 2012. "The Comparison Between Newspapers In Hong Kong And Mainland And Its Enlightenment – A Case Study On Apple Daily And ...

'', a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

-leaning media outlet, placed Xi's words on its front page together with the news of the

sea burial Burial at sea is the disposal of Cadaver, human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship, boat or aircraft. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries. Burial-at-sea services are conducted at many di ...

Yuan Geng Yuan Geng (; 23 April 1917 – 31 January 2016), born Ouyang Rushan, was a Chinese guerrilla fighter, war hero, spy, policy visionary, and serial entrepreneur on behalf of the Chinese state. He was an early proponent of China's reform and open ...

, a CCP official, making the front page read, "the media whose surname is party, its soul returns to the sea." Despite the perceived dissatisfaction with the party media's surname discourse, the ''Southern Metropolis Daily'' and numerous journalists said it was not intentional and was only a mistake. An announcement circulated a few days later stated that "malicious online interpretations by some people of serious mistakes by editors who have serious deficits in political sensitivity led to a serious guidance incident," and three senior newspaper staffs were disciplined, although all three said they were unaware of the situation. On March 29, Yu Shaolei, a prominent editor of the newspaper, announced his resignation, stating that he could "no longer follow your surname".

References

{{portal bar, China, Journalism Freedom of the press Mass media in China Chinese political catchphrases Propaganda in China 2016 quotations Xi Jinping Thought Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party