Trying to regulate online magazines

Xu Jinglei's online magazine

China's print regulator, the China Administration of press and publication, is trying to expand its censorship online, China in Transition reports, based on the China Business News.

Online magazine has gained fast popularity in China in recent years, and it is estimated that there are a few hundred such digital magazines, run by companies or individuals, with viewers of nearly 40 million. A noticeable latest release of online magazine was that of popular movie star Ms. Xu Jinglei. The first issue of the bi-weekly online magazine, expected to make millions in advertisement income, was published earlier this month. Ms. Xu recruited a group of star writers to write for the magazine.

The online magazines are basically delivered as pfd-files to save printing costs. While elsewhere existing magazines have turned to this format, in China the extra attraction of a more lenient censorship increased also the number of new magazines.
At the end of last year also the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV(SARFT) tried to expand its jurisdiction to online activities, up to now without little result. The Chinese internet is regulated by up to 17 departments who mostly only agree on one point: the other departments should not get too much influence.