The authorities of Kunming, capital city of Yunnan Province have created a law that will punish any person or organization obstructing the work of the media or reporters in telling the news.

The law says that the media plays a sort of supervisory role over public institutions, state enterprises and official departments, by telling the news and offering public opinion.

"Those who refuse, interfere with, or obstruct this news media supervision will be seen as violators of the law," reads the draft of the law, published on the Kunming government website.

The Kunming committee of National People's Congress will carry out the first round of voting for the new law on Thursday.

Teng Li, vice chief prosecutor of Kunming Prosecutorate, one of the draftsmen, said the protection of the media, and their supervisory role, will help prevent crimes.

The regulation sets standards and limits for both sides. Journalists are required to report the truth and facts. On the other side, organizations and individuals are not allowed to refuse interviews, damage reporters' equipment, or threaten journalists' personal safety.

The regulation does not outline what the punishments for such offenses would be.

However, some experts pointed out that the regulation is not specific enough, which could lead to difficulty in enforcement.

Shan Xiaohong, director of the school of journalism at Yunnan University, said the law should include more specific definitions of "interference" and "obstruction." Also, the law doesn't explain exactly what "the media should supervise legally."

"This could lead to officials shifting responsibility to others. Also, what is the standard of cooperation? These all need clarification," Shan said.

The law, however, is still a positive action as writing public opinion into local law is promoting the people's supervision of the government's power and a protection of the citizens' right to know and participate in local government, Shan said.

Chen Changcheng, a journalist from China Enterprise News, said if the regulation becomes a nationwide law, freedom of journalism in China would be more protected.

The new law is "progress" and is a shift away from the current situation in China, where there is no law to support journalists and news media, Chen said.

"We as journalists have no legal protection for our right to interview and know. If the regulation of Kunming will be put into practice, the local democracy and news freedom will be promoted," he said.

However, Zhang Kai, a lawyer from Beijing Yijia, worries that a city-level regulation will not carry much weight.

"If a provincial department or official is involved, I'm afraid it is not that useful," he said.

(China Daily August 19, 2009)