All news media in China are under government oversight and receive direct orders from authorities, mostly relying on state funding
A senior executive at Shanghai’s prominent media group and chairman of the well-known news outlet The Paper is under investigation for suspected corruption, as announced by the city’s graft watchdog on Thursday, using the usual official euphemism for such cases. The executive in question is Cheng Feng, the deputy general manager of Shanghai United Media Group, and no further details regarding the investigation were provided.
Coincidentally, this announcement came within 24 hours of Shanghai’s top legislator, Dong Yunhu, also being investigated by the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Dong, a former Shanghai propaganda chief, is the first ministerial-level official to be purged since the 20th party congress in October.
The five-yearly national congress, where President Xi Jinping secured a historic third term, concluded with a pledge to “keep improving conduct, promoting integrity, and fighting corruption with sober-minded determination.”
Cheng Feng, 51, has been associated with the state-owned Shanghai United Media Group since its establishment in 2013. A native of Shanghai, Cheng holds engineering and MBA degrees and became a party member during his university days. He is also the chairman of China’s leading digital news outlet, The Paper, and other portals managed by United Media, including the English-language Sixth Tone. The Paper, founded in 2014, aimed to capture online readership amid declining revenue for print newspapers. According to a social responsibility report published last year, it had accumulated a user base of 197.2 million by the end of 2021. The Paper was praised in 2017 by the National Press and Publication Administration for providing “high-quality original news” on politics and communist ideology.
It is important to note that all news media in China are under government oversight and receive direct orders from authorities, mostly relying on state funding.
Cheng Feng had a previous career in foreign trade and technology before entering the media industry. He climbed the Shanghai municipal government ranks and eventually assumed a top management position at Shanghai International Group, a large state-owned financial holding enterprise.
Cheng is one of several top Chinese media executives who have faced investigations over “disciplinary violations” since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 and launched his signature anti-corruption campaign.
