Twenty-one journalists in Maoming, Guangdong were found guilty of extortion as a government crackdown on “fake news” widened across the nation last week.

The convictions of the journalists are part of what the city calls its “iron-fist response” towards fake and negative press coverage, Yangcheng Evening News reported on April 12.

Luo Mouchun, a journalist from a Maoming TV station, was handed a 10-year sentence for extorting money from victims that include government officials, company executives, school teachers, and ordinary citizens, the report said. Luo was said to have accepted 111 red envelopes (红包), worth more than RMB 149,000 ($24,000 USD).

The sentence is probably the harshest punishment so far handed down to any journalist in the country since the launch of the anti-fake news campaign last year. In the notice issued by the eight central government institutions, the campaign was announced to be taking place nation wide and vaguely outlined the damages of fake news, state news agency Xinhua reported on April 9. It states, “fake news and journalist extortion have severely disrupted the daily work and life of lower-tier officials. The campaign is not afraid to take bold actions. It is the practical result of the Party’s line education to the masses.”

But throughout the report, it did not mention what constitutes “fake news”. Given that the central publicity department regularly bans media from reporting on sensitive topics ranging from political scandals to reports on MH370, it should be among the agencies targeted in the fake news crackdown if the Party is really getting serious about the campaign.

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