Shake Up in China's State Media

BEIJING -- A shake up of China's state media leads to former State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) director Tian Congming being named as president of the official news agency Xinhua. Tian, director of SARFT since 1998 will become head of Xinhua after the unexpected death of former Xinhua president Guo Chaoren on June 15, 2000. Xu Guangchun, formerly vice-head of the Central Publicity Department will replaces Tian as director of SARFT.

At the same time numerous other posts in the state media organizations are being reassigned as President Jiang Zemin called for a reinvigoration of ideological enthusiasm and party political work.

Bei Keming, a former vice head of the Communist Party's Central Publicity Department becomes director of the People's Daily, replacing Shao Huaze.  Wang Chen former editor-in -chief of the official Guangmin Daily becomes a deputy head of the Central Publicity Department.    Yuan Zhifa will replace him as editor-in-chief of the Chuangming Daily moving from his former position as the deputy editor-in-chief of the People's Daily.

China Central Television (CCTV) said on June 30 that the reorganization of the state media directly under the control of the CP Central Publicity Department aimed to "strengthen the leadership group of the central news work units."

The shuffle follows a recently launched political ideological campaign called the "three representatives", created to address rampant corruption in the party and government. The campaign calls on government officials to selflessly serve the nation as advance production forces, to embrace advanced culture and to hear the people's interests at the forefront of their work.

The shake up also comes after the propaganda department has initiated a crackdown against "western bourgeois news values", or liberal elements in the state-controlled media.  The People's Daily in an editorial to mark the 79th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party called on senior party members to make a breakthrough in its ideological and political work. `