Online media staff to gain press credentials in China

BEIJING -- Chinese authorities will grant press credentials to staff with news portals, giving news reporting rights to online media, which for a long time could only edit and publish news from traditional media.

According to a circular jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) on Wednesday, the first group to receive credentials must work for news sites that have been approved by the CAC and have more than one year of news reporting experience.

The training and vetting of online media journalists will be handled by the CAC while the SAPPRFT will issue credentials, according to Jiang Jun, spokesperson of the CAC.

"Press cards for online media staff will be the same as those held by traditional media staff in order to achieve unified standards and management," said Jiang.

The spokesperson urged regulators of news websites to help review the qualifications of applicants, adding that application, review and issuing of press credentials will be an annual process.

The new policy has revoked a previous ban on website news reporting but does not cover news producers of so-called "self-media," referring to subscription-based accounts that have become popular on mobile messaging service WeChat.