China will crack down on social and entertainment news that promotes improper values and "Western lifestyles," the country's broadcasting regulator said, the latest effort at censorship in an already strictly regulated media environment.
President Xi Jinping has embarked on an unprecedented drive to censor media that do not reflect the views of Communist Party leaders. Authorities have already issued rules limiting "foreign-inspired" television shows and put tougher penalties on the spread of rumors via social media.
Social and entertainment news must be dominated by mainstream ideologies and "positive energy," the official Xinhua News Agency said late on Monday, citing the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT).