Freedom of the press in China

The country's constitution prohibits media workers, including internet users, from publishing, writing, circulating, or otherwise posting fake news, misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda related to various subjects such as national security, terrorism, ethnic hatred, violence, and obscenity. However, most private journalists are restricted from sharing certain views and opinions with the general public. China introduced Article 35 of the constitution of China that provides its citizens the right to observe "press freedom" in a free environment. However, Article 51 prohibits such activities for the national interest, which limits press freedom in the country. Chinese mass media such as radio and television broadcast news fall under Article 25, which limits their ability to broadcast plays, news, and other forms of information in free journalism standards. This, according to the Regulation on the Administration of Publishing, prevents transmitting of such content that poses risks to sovereignty and public interest. During this period, several Red Guard organizations also operated independent printing presses to publish newspapers, articles, speeches, and big-character posters. == Global rank ==

, the global rank of China declined to 179 out of 180, with only North Korea having less press freedom. China has been one of the countries with nominal freedom of press regulations. Reporters Without Borders, a non-government organization dedicated to safeguarding the right to information, published an annual report, the World Press Freedom Index, indicating that the Chinese Communist Party, the ruling party, is exercising self- and direct censorship on the press. == Censorship ==

According to Reporters Without Borders, the role of the media in China is to impart state propaganda. China often blocks news websites, social media platforms, and other services such as Facebook, Gmail, Google, Instagram, and Pinterest, and has limited their access to the general public. The Great Firewall has blocked most foreign news websites, such as Voice of America, BBC News, The New York Times, and Bloomberg News. In 2017, Chinese authorities also removed about "300 politically sensitive articles" from the Cambridge University Press. However, this article removal was later contested online on Change.org. In 2019, some scholars and writers deleted their posts or permanently deleted their feeds after authorities asked them to do so. Some writers were warned for retweeting or liking posts. Under Xi Jinping, press censorship has increased. The authorities often raid pro-democracy activists and media owners in an attempt to suppress the press. In 2019, China blocked all available versions of Wikipedia in the country without any notice to Wikimedia Foundation. Chinese journalists are often detained for alleged negative coverage. In 2016, more than twenty journalists, including commentator Jia Jia, were arrested after an open letter was published calling on Chinese leader Xi Jinping to resign. According to Reporters without Borders, independent journalists and bloggers are often surveilled, harassed, detained, and, in some cases, tortured. In 2020, activist and media mogul, Jimmy Lai, was arrested on accusations that he had used Apple Daily and conspired with six former executives of the news platform to produce "seditious publications" and colluding with "foreign forces." The platform was critical of Chinese and Hong Kong governments. In February 2026, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Committee to Protect Journalists' Asia-Pacific director Beh Lih Yi called Lai's conviction "Hong Kong's most shameful act of persecution of journalists." The European Union's foreign affairs spokesperson stated that the union deplored Lai's prison sentence and urged the authorities to stop prosecuting journalists. Lai’s co-defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six years and three months to 10 years. Those convicted include publisher Cheung Kim-hung, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, editor-in-chief Ryan Law, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, executive editor-in-chief for English news Fung Wai-kong, and editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee. == See also ==