Does the News Need Legislating?

(Beijing) – Does China need "news legislation?"

This is a question frequently asked as journalism develops in the country. It recently resurfaced following a Caixin report on the flourishing IPO extortion industry.

The practice, sometimes called "paid media silence," sees companies hoping to go public fall victim to a media blackmailer that threatens to publish damaging reports unless a company pays them in ad deals and other ways.