China backtracks on tough media laws for disaster coverage
Posted: 25 June 2007 1514 hrs

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BEIJING : China has backtracked on a decision that could have made it tougher for journalists to report on riots, disasters and other emergencies, state media said Monday.

Legislators revised the draft emergency response law after heated debate evolved over a passage warning media of steep fines for "irregular" or "fraudulent" reports, according to the China Daily.

The earlier version of the law, tabled in June last year at the National People's Congress -- or legislature -- had warned of fines of up to 100,000 yuan (13,000 dollars) if the reports led to "serious consequences," the paper said.

This triggered concerns among some lawmakers that local governments could use the law to cover up disasters that might reflect badly on them, such as mining fatalities caused by poor safety measures.

To avoid this, the new draft uses vaguer language, stating that "units and individuals are prohibited from fabricating or spreading false information regarding emergencies and government efforts to cope with emergencies."

While the new draft has dropped the specific reference to the media and no longer mentions fines, it would still be possible to warn or punish people who knowingly spread false information, the paper said.

Emergencies are defined in the draft as industrial accidents, natural disasters and health and public security crises, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The Chinese government has been criticised in the past for covering up various disasters and emergencies.

One of the most notable cases was its handling of the SARS health crisis in 2003, when Chinese authorities denied for months that there was a problem in China.

After its emergence in southern China, SARS eventually spread globally to infect more than 8,000 people and kill more than 800, including 349 in China.

- AFP/ir