General Administration of Press and Publication Notice on Further Strengthening Management of Online Literary Publications

Promulgation Date: 2020-6-5
Title: General Administration of Press and Publication Notice on Further Strengthening Management of Online Literary Publications
Document Number:国新出发〔2020〕11号
Expiration date: 
Promulgating Entities:National Press and Publication Administration
Source of text: http://www.nppa.gov.cn/nppa/contents/279/74415.shtml

Online literature is an important force for enriching and developing socialist literature and art and has a huge readership, and broad influence, especially among teenagers In recent years, the online literature sector has flourished, and a wave of outstanding authors and original works that combine ideology, artistry, and readability have emerged, which has played an active role in promoting literary creation and satisfying the people's mental and cultural needs. At the same time, there have also been some trends and issues that are worthy of attention. Some works have deviant orientation, are lowbrow, or even use titillating content such as obscenity and pornography, or gore and violence to draw in readers; and some enterprises lack a sense of social responsibility, have inadequate checking mechanisms, don't adequately implement entity responsibility, and favor the pursuit of economic of benefit. Based on the requirements of the "Regulations on the Administration of Publications", the "Provisions on the Administration of Online Publishing Services", and other such laws and regulations; and in order to further strengthen the administration of online literary publication, to regulate order in the online literature industry, and to lead online literary publication units to always persist in the correct publishing orientation, to persist in putting social benefits first, to persist in high-quality development, and to strive to contribute high-quality selections to the people and promote the rich and healthy development of online literature; notice of the following relevant matters is hereby given:

I. Establish and complete content review mechanisms. Online literary publication units must establish an editor-in-chief, establish and complete an editorial committee, and strengthen content checking duties, with the editor-in-chief having veto power over matters involving content-oriented issues, and is responsible for the quality of published content. Strengthen selection and planning, control the overall volume, optimize layouts, improve quality, support high-quality innovative content, and resist the trend toward the formulaic and homogenized. Strictly guide management, improve internal quality control mechanisms, strictly implement systems for topic selection and debate and for content revision, so that there is clear responsibility for content control and the editing process can be inspected and tracked to ensure that content's correct orientation and healthy style. Strictly implement the primary responsibility of the platform, upholding the principle of reviewing before publication, conducting a strict content review of works for publication before the work is released; and conduct follow-up reviews of works that are not yet completed or that are continuously updated; and that which has not been reviewed must not be published online. Strengthen the dynamic management of information related to the publication of works such as top content lists and interactive reviews, and correctly guide users' reading.

II. Strictly regulate publishing conduct. Carry out a real-name registration system for creators of online literature is implemented adhering to the principle of "real names behind the scenes, and whatever one wants up front", so that literary publication units must require creators to provide real identity information, and must not provide relevant services for creators who have not registered with true identity information, and strictly keep the collected information confidential to ensure creators' information security. Online literary publication units should clearly indicate the publication rules and service agreements on the platform, putting forward clear conditions for creators' publication to both protect their lawful rights and interests and implement effective restraints. When publishing original works, the title, author, responsible editor, copyright description and other relevant information must be marked in a prominent position on the cover or the first page of the work. Where providers of internet official account services or application stores and the like first publish online literary works, they are to be managed in accordance with the requirements above; and those engaged in distribution operations need to strengthen the establishment of reviews, to conduct tracking and checking of distributed products and contents, and bear corresponding responsibilities for any problems. Internet platforms providing official accounts and app store services are to follow the requirements above to strengthen monitoring and management and bear corresponding entity responsibility.

III. Regularly carry out periodic social benefit appraisals and evaluations. Online literary publication units should carry out social benefit appraisals and evaluations as requested, to put together a self-report on social benefit to be sent for review and acknowledgment to the competent departments for that area. Where serious mistakes occur in an online literary publishing unit's publication or promotion of works, they are to given a social benefits appraisal or evaluation of not qualified. Online literary publication units that are evaluated as outstanding for two consecutive years, are to be given an edge in awards selection, supports, and other areas by the departments in charge of publication; and for those who are evaluated as unqualified, criticism is to be circulated, their responsible person is to be given a talking to, and they are to be ordered to not participate in any awards selections until the situation is rectified; and where there is conduct in violation of laws and regulations, punishment is to be given in accordance with law.

IV. Strengthen the management of award selection activities. All types of social organization, media units, schools, research establishment, or other such groups that organizes a national online literary award selection must apply for approval from the General Administration for Press and Publication, and hold it only upon approval; enterprises must not hold national online literary award selections under any name. Where local award selections are carried out for online literature, it must be with the consent of the local authorities in charge of publication.

V. Further regulate market order. Strengthen the management of the online literary market and sternly address violations of laws and regulations. Where there are serious deviations in the content orientation, comprehensively utilize diverse measures such as administrative supervision, economic punishment, and criminal punishment to address it. Resolutely clean up coarse, vulgar, and lowbrow content, resolutely curb the negative tendencies such as fads and imitation, and resolutely combat infringement and piracy. Strengthen oversight and management of diverting conduct, where the transmission of erroneous content occurs misleading user and readers, the relevant online platform shall promptly employ measures such as restricting functions, suspending updates, and closing down accounts. Online literary publication units should set up a portal for reader complaints in a conspicuous place on their platform, and actively accept public oversight. Explore the establishment and improvement of credit archive systems, putting enterprises of practitioners that violate laws or rules into a file of the untrustworthy, and employing measures such as entry restrictions or prohibitions.

VI. Strengthen the establishment of online literary publication teams. Thoroughly carry out education on the Marxist view of press and publication, to increase the capacity for content orientation of those engaged in online literature, and increase their sense of responsibility and mission. Strengthen education and training, editors of online literary publication units who are engaged in content review should periodically participate in continuing education for professional technical personnel for at least 72 hours total each year, and obtain a certificate of completion of continuing education to be issued by the departments in charge of publication; the legal representatives, editors-in-chief, or responsible parties for online literary publication units should participate in in-post trainings organized by the departments in charge of publication and obtain a uniform certificate of completion of in-post trainings issued the General Administration of Press and Publication. Guide the broader group of network literature practitioners to be responsible to readers and society, to strengthen moral cultivation, to abide by public order and good customs, to promote new styles and healthy atmospheres, to create excellent masterpieces, and preserve the positive reputation of the network literature industry and the positive image of network literature publishers.

VII. Truly perform local management duties. All levels of the department in charge of publication will strictly implement a responsibility system for ideological work, putting in place territorial responsibility for management to strengthen territorial management of online literary businesses, feeling out the terrain, establishing ledgers, and improving systems. Works, enterprises and relevant public opinion that present issues should be actively and appropriately handled and promptly reported. Strengthen the guidance and supervision of major matters and key publications of online literature publishing units under them, timely research and assess important issues, and ensure that all management responsibilities are implemented. Periodically oversee and inspect the state of implementing editorial responsibility systems for online literary publication systems, and make the inspections' outcomes an important basis for the allocation of resources to the publishing unit, its annual assessments, review of its programs, and selections for honors. Establish and enrich the online literature review team, increase the intensity of random inspections, and promptly discover and nip problematic tendencies in the bud. Fully utilize technological methods to strengthen monitoring and surveillance, increasing the level of analysis and adjustment and increasing capacity for scientific management.

"Online Literary Publication Units" as used in this Notice includes platforms providing online literature services; "national online literary prizes" refers to nationwide award selections for people or works in the online literature sector, online literature award activities where the winner is given the title including 'China' or 'Chinese' etc., as well as domestically organized online literature awards where the winner is given a title including language such as 'international', 'global', or "Chinese Speaking World".

This Notice is to take effect from the date of its issue.

National Press and Publication Administration

June 5, 2020