CHINA: One of China's top state-run newspapers has backed down on a plan to link reporters' pay to the amount of praise they receive from Communist Party cadres, after a senior journalist threatened to quit.
China's newspapers are all under party control and dissent is not tolerated, but some outspoken editors have tried to push the envelope in the last few years to run critical stories.
Li Datong, a senior editor at the China Youth Daily, launched a rare attack on his employer over a plan to link salaries and bonuses to the amount of praise garnered from party officials.
The appraisal system was scrapped after a management meeting to discuss Mr Li's concerns, sources close to the discussions said. Journalists would now be invited to discuss the appraisal system.
Boasting a circulation of 400,000, China Youth Daily is the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party Youth League, which has 72 million members and is effectively the power base of President Hu Jintao.
The paper has been active in exposing corruption in high places - one of its coups was a series of articles about Li Yizhen, a propaganda official in Shenzhen, who allowed officials to pressure students into watching a movie produced, directed and starring his daughter.
In a separate incident this week at the China Youth Daily, a senior leader writer handed in his notice after he claimed he was forced to write a gushing editorial praising Mr Hu. Li Fang (34), the paper's chief commentator, had come under pressure from superiors to write the commentary, which some colleagues said was reminiscent of the "great helmsman" cult of personality built up around Chairman Mao Zedong.
Under the appraisal system, which was supposed to be introduced this week, reporters would have received points for their stories according to how much praise or criticism they received from government officials.
Authors of the top three most read stories would have received 50 points each, while articles praised by party cadres responsible for propaganda would notch up 120 points. The more points, the more money the journalists would get.
Li Datong published an open letter on the internet to the chief editor, saying the system would endanger editorial freedom and damage the newspaper's reputation for independent reporting.
China has liberalised many sectors of the economy, but remains fiercely protective and vigilant when it comes to the media. However, a cutback in state subsidies for many local titles means that editorial content has become more critical as the newspapers are forced to fend for themselves.
Most journalists are paid by story on top of their salaries, and how much they earn depends on either the length, or the quality, of the story.
Working as a reporter in China is generally not well-paid, but journalists can augment their incomes with "donations" from the companies and organisations they write about.
Chinese journalists are routinely given cash at press conferences in envelopes, with the amount of money reflecting their status. Described as "transportation fees" or "expenses", typically an envelope contains anything between 100 and 400 yuan (€10 and €40) and returning the envelope is usually greeted with a raised eyebrow.