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Thursday, 11 March 2010
Editor punished for bold editorial on household registration
A newspaper editor said he has been punished for co-writing a bold editorial demanding reform of the unpopular household registration system on the mainland, which critics say discriminates against farmers and other rural poor.
Editor punished for bold editorial on household registration
Associated Press in Beijing 10 March 2010
A newspaper editor said he has been punished for co-writing a bold editorial demanding reform of the unpopular household registration system on the mainland, which critics say discriminates against farmers and other rural poor.
Zhang Hong, a former deputy editor with the Beijing-based Economic Observer, said in a letter posted on the Wall Street Journal web site that he was “punished accordingly” for the March 1 editorial carried by 13 Chinese publications.
“Other colleagues and media partners also felt repercussions,” Zhang wrote. He did not say if he was dismissed from his post but added in the letter, dated Tuesday, that he is now an “independent commentator.”
Such direct and public criticism of government policy by the media is highly unusual. While many Chinese publications have sharpened their reporting on controversial issues to help draw readership, editorials tend to stick closely to Communist Party lines.
The editorial was particularly daring because it came out just ahead of the annual National Peop;e’s Congress legislative session, as top leaders and provincial-level delegates gathered in Beijing for two weeks of meetings.
In his letter, Zhang said the timing was deliberate and meant “to express the media’s wish to participate in China’s overall reform.”
“To put it bluntly, I’ve lived for 36 years, but never known which representatives were chosen by me, who are able to seek justice on my behalf,” Zhang wrote. “We hope that the voices of the masses can make themselves heard among the representatives who ‘represent public opinion.’”
Reached by telephone on Wednesday, Zhang refused to comment. “I have already written responsibly about this,” he said in apparent reference to the letter on the Wall Street Journal web site. It also appeared on the Chinese-language Leaders Magazine site.
A woman who answered the phone at the Economic Observer would not say whether Zhang had been fired.
“The letter itself is clear enough and I have nothing to add,” said the woman, who refused to give her name. She added that Zhang did not come to work on Wednesday.
The household registration system, or hukou, essentially identifies each citizen on the mainland as urban or rural. It dates back to the time when the government wanted to control migration to cities.
The system’s limits became increasingly clear in recent years as millions of migrant workers left their rural homes to find work in the booming cities. Their residence status, however, remains in their rural hometowns, and not having the proper classification restricts access to government services like education. Changing a hukou can be difficult.
“China has been tasting the bitterness of the household registration system for a long time!” the editorial said. “Freedom of movement is a human right,” it added. The logos of the Economic Observer and 12 other newspapers appeared at the bottom. It has since been removed from most mainland web sites.
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Editor punished for bold editorial on household registration
Associated Press in Beijing
10 March 2010
A newspaper editor said he has been punished for co-writing a bold editorial demanding reform of the unpopular household registration system on the mainland, which critics say discriminates against farmers and other rural poor.
Zhang Hong, a former deputy editor with the Beijing-based Economic Observer, said in a letter posted on the Wall Street Journal web site that he was “punished accordingly” for the March 1 editorial carried by 13 Chinese publications.
“Other colleagues and media partners also felt repercussions,” Zhang wrote. He did not say if he was dismissed from his post but added in the letter, dated Tuesday, that he is now an “independent commentator.”
Such direct and public criticism of government policy by the media is highly unusual. While many Chinese publications have sharpened their reporting on controversial issues to help draw readership, editorials tend to stick closely to Communist Party lines.
The editorial was particularly daring because it came out just ahead of the annual National Peop;e’s Congress legislative session, as top leaders and provincial-level delegates gathered in Beijing for two weeks of meetings.
In his letter, Zhang said the timing was deliberate and meant “to express the media’s wish to participate in China’s overall reform.”
“To put it bluntly, I’ve lived for 36 years, but never known which representatives were chosen by me, who are able to seek justice on my behalf,” Zhang wrote. “We hope that the voices of the masses can make themselves heard among the representatives who ‘represent public opinion.’”
Reached by telephone on Wednesday, Zhang refused to comment. “I have already written responsibly about this,” he said in apparent reference to the letter on the Wall Street Journal web site. It also appeared on the Chinese-language Leaders Magazine site.
A woman who answered the phone at the Economic Observer would not say whether Zhang had been fired.
“The letter itself is clear enough and I have nothing to add,” said the woman, who refused to give her name. She added that Zhang did not come to work on Wednesday.
The household registration system, or hukou, essentially identifies each citizen on the mainland as urban or rural. It dates back to the time when the government wanted to control migration to cities.
The system’s limits became increasingly clear in recent years as millions of migrant workers left their rural homes to find work in the booming cities. Their residence status, however, remains in their rural hometowns, and not having the proper classification restricts access to government services like education. Changing a hukou can be difficult.
“China has been tasting the bitterness of the household registration system for a long time!” the editorial said. “Freedom of movement is a human right,” it added. The logos of the Economic Observer and 12 other newspapers appeared at the bottom. It has since been removed from most mainland web sites.
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