Watchdog issues criticism of 'irresponsible' media

The State media watchdog has listed five major cases involving false or "vulgar" reports, warning news publishers nationwide to avoid pursuing only profit via sensationalizing or even fabricating stories.

According to an announcement released on the website of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) on Thursday, the cases included Shandong-based Liaocheng Evening News and Shanghai-based Xinmin Weekly which used the term "ta ma de," literally "his mother" but which means "motherf__r" in popular parlance, when headlining an infamous gang rape case involving the teenage son of two famous military singers in Beijing.

The two news organizations had been ordered to rectify their management errors and punished responsible staff after Shandong and Shanghai news management authorities sent a warning notice to them respectively.

An official from SAPPRFT said the purpose of criticism was to let all media in the country learn from the lessons and that the media must correctly guide the public as well as strengthen management and professional training on media staff, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Other cases included the Guangdong-based Nandu Daily which published a full page statement by a mistress in August, 2013, which turned out to be a disguised cosmetic advertisement.

And Guangdong-based news magazine South Reviews was criticized for publishing a report in last September that falsely quoted a village official as saying half the children in the village were his offspring.

Zhou Baohua, an associate professor at Journalism School at Fudan University, told the Global Times that using sensational terms to catch readers' eyes is a low-level approach and it would not help press build character and credibility.

"The public has their own judgment and the key is still relying on whether the press could provide high quality information to earn people's trust," Zhou said.