Rat hunt to clean up film and TV industry

Li Qiufang, a senior official of communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China's top anti-graft body, said on Thursday that after investigating them for corruption last year, the CCDI will further regulate the film and television industry this year, with special attention paid to eliminating the "hidden rules" such as the giving of bribes to bureaucrats. Comments:

Compared with the tigers, or senior corrupt officials, the corrupt officials in the film and TV industry have much less power and they are as small as rats. Yet these rats are nevertheless destructive, as they have corrupted the whole industry; worse, they are more cunning because their illegal trade is better hidden. Anti-graft agencies need to be more careful in hunting these rats.

Qianjiang Evening News, Jan 30

For a long time, the cancer of "hidden rules "has been rampant in the film and TV industry. Only those actors and producers who obey these rules have any chance of having their products screened, while anybody trying to challenge the "rules" will be forced out of the industry. The authorities have tried to strike at these hidden rules before but without success, because it is bureaucrats, instead of the market, that decide whether or not TV programs and movies are screened. We hope the CCDI can be innovative, so as not to repeat their failures.

xinhuanet.com, Jan 30

Domestic TV dramas and films have become the laughing stock among audiences, and one of the main reasons is that "hidden rules" prevent excellent products from entering the market. In order to root out these "rules", it is necessary to introduce some transparent rules for the industry, and allow the public to supervise practitioners. Only with ample sunshine can we chase darkness from the industry.

The Mirror, Jan 30