Rules on the Management of Information from Professional Activities of News Employees

Notice concerning issuance of the “Rules on the Management of Information from Professional Activities of News Employees”

All provincial (regional, municipal” press and publications bureaus, the Xinjiang Production-Construction Corps press and publications bureaus, all Centre and State organs’ ministries and commissions, all democratic parties, all people’s organizations’ newspaper and periodical controlling departments, major central news work units:

In recent years, the phenomenon that news employees abuse information gained during their professional activities has appeared now and then. In some cases, information involving secrets has been wilfully disseminated and spread in violation of secrecy protection laws and regulations, in some cases, information obtained during professional activities has been published on online platforms without authorization, in some cases, unpublished reports of a news work unit have been handed over to other domestic and foreign media for publication, in some cases, news work unit resources have been used to seek improper gain, this disturbs the regular news dissemination order, and harms the interest of the Party and the State. In order to realistically strengthen management over information from professional activities of news employees, on the basis of the “State Secret Protection Law” and other such relevant laws and regulations, SAPPRFT has formulated the “Rules on the Management of Information from professional Activities of News Employees”, these are hereby issued, please implement them earnestly.

State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television

30 June 2014

 

Rules on the Management of Information from professional Activities of News Employees

Article 1: In order to strengthen management of information from professional activities of news employees and standardize the news dissemination order, on the basis of the “State Secret Protection Law”, the “Labour Contract Law”, the “Copyright Law” and other such laws and regulations, these Rules are formulated.

Article 2: Information from professional activities of news employees as mentioned in these Rules, refers to all sorts of information, source materials as well as news writings collected and processed by journalists, editors, broadcasters, anchor persons and other newsgathering and editing personnel of news work units as well as other news employees that provide technical and other such assisting activities, during the process of collecting news, participating in meetings, listening to communications, reading documents and other such professional activities, this includes State secrets, commercial secrets, unpublished information, etc.

Article 3: News work units must persist in the principles of acting according to laws and regulations, seeking benefit and avoiding harm, being good at management and appointments, and keeping things manageable and controllable, strengthen management over information from professional activities, and guarantee that news employees use information from professional activities in a scientific, rational, standardized and orderly manner.

Article 4: News work units shall complete secrecy preservation systems, they shall clearly stipulate the scope of information and secrecy preservation limits of information involving State secrets that news employees encounter in their professional activities, complete State secret carrier dispatching, transmission, use, reproduction, preservation and destruction systems, it is prohibited to illegally reproduce, record and store State secrets, it is prohibited to transmit State secrets in any medium or in any way, it is prohibited to touch upon State secrets in personal interaction and communication.

News employees shall undergo secrecy preservation education and training when they take up their position, and sign a letter of commitment on secrecy preservation.

Article 5: News work units shall, according to the relevant provisions of the “Labour Contract Law”, sign a secrecy preservation agreement with news employees concerning information from professional activities with news employees, with relation to commercial secrets, unpublished information, professional writings and other such secrecy preservation matters, and establish uniform management systems for information from professional activities.

Secrecy preservation agreements must clearly indicate the rights ownership, use scope, post-dismissal or retirement duties and liability for breach in relation to information from professional activities of news employees, in a categorized manner.

News employees may not, in violation of the agreements in the secrecy preservation agreement, provide information from professional activities to other domestic and foreign media and websites, or become “special correspondents”, “special reporters”, “special contributors” or column writers of foreign media.

Article 6: News employees may not use information from professional activities to seek improper gain.

Article 7: News employees opening blogs, microblogs, WeChat accounts, etc., with their professional identity, must obtain approval and filing from their news work unit, their work unit is responsible for daily supervision and management duties.

News employees may not, in violation of the agreements in the secrecy preservation agreements, leak or publish information in public activities through blogs, microblogs, public or individual WeChat accounts, or any other channel, or at forums, lectures or any other venue.

Article 8: News employees leaving or retiring from their positions must return all materials and documents involving secrets, and must implement secrecy preservation duties for the secrecy preservation period provided in laws or regulations, or in the agreement.

Article 9: News work units must make signing secrecy preservation commitment letters and secrecy preservation agreements for information from professional activities into a necessary condition for the appointment and professional assignment of news employees, they may not be appointed or assigned without having signed [these documents].

Article 10: Newsgathering and editing personnel applying for or exchanging journalist cards, must hand over relevant submission materials according to the provisions of the “News Journalist Card Management Rules”, where submission materials do not include commitment letters or secrecy preservation agreements for information from professional activities, the issuance of journalist cards is not granted.

Article 11: News work units shall, when engaging in annual news journalist assessment, report the situation of signature and implementation of news employees secrecy preservation commitment letters and secrecy preservation agreements to the administrative department of press, publications, radio, film and television.

Article 12: Where news employees violate secrecy preservation commitment letters and secrecy preservation agreements, and use information from professional activities without authorization, news work units shall punish their liability for breach of agreement according to contract, administrative or disciplinary punishment is imposed in consideration of the circumstances, and their civil liability is punished.

Article 13: The controlling departments of news work units shall supervise their subordinate news work unit’s completion of secrecy preservation commitment and secrecy preservation agreement systems, and implementation of management duties; administrative press, publications, radio, film and television departments shall strengthen daily supervision and inspection of the situation of management of information from professional activities by news work units in their administrative areas.

Article 14: Where news employees disseminate information from professional activities without authorization, causing grave consequences, administrative press, publications, radio, film and television departments cancel their news journalist cards according to the law, a note of bad professional conduct is entered, and they are punished with banishment from or restrictions to the profession.

Article 15: News work units whose management of information from professional activities of news employees is chaotic, resulting in loss or leaks of secrets, extortion and blackmail, infringement and other such grave problems, are investigated and punishment according to the law by administrative press, publications, radio, film and television departments, etc., and are ordered to rectify [the situation], those who refuse to rectify [the situation] or rectify [it] unsatisfactorily will not pass annual assessment, where circumstances are grave, permits are cancelled, and the liability of responsible persons for the news work unit and directly responsible persons is punished according to the law.

Article 16: Where news employees, in violation of regulations, use information from professional activities to cause loss or leaks of secrets, the liability of the corresponding person is punished according to the law, where crime is suspected, the matter is submitted to the judicial organs for processing.

Article 17: These rules take effect from the date of promulgation.

关于印发《新闻从业人员职务行为信息管理办法》的通知

各省(区、市)新闻出版广电局，新疆生产建设兵团新闻出版局，中央和国家机关各部委、各民主党派、各人民团体报刊主管部门，中央主要新闻单位：

近年来，新闻从业人员滥用职务行为信息的现象时有出现。有的违反保密法规随意散布、传播涉密信息，有的擅自将职务活动中知悉的信息通过网络平台发布，有的将本新闻单位未播发的报道交由其他境内外媒体刊播，有的利用新闻单位资源谋取不正当利益，干扰了正常的新闻传播秩序，损害了党和国家利益。为切实加强新闻从业人员职务行为信息的管理，根据《保守国家秘密法》等有关法律法规，总局制定了《新闻从业人员职务行为信息管理办法》，现予以印发，请认真贯彻执行。

国家新闻出版广电总局

2014年6月30日

新闻从业人员职务行为信息管理办法

第一条 为加强新闻从业人员职务行为信息的管理，规范新闻传播秩序，根据《保守国家秘密法》、《劳动合同法》、《著作权法》等有关法律法规，制定本办法。

第二条 本办法所称新闻从业人员职务行为信息，是指新闻单位的记者、编辑、播音员、主持人等新闻采编人员及提供技术支持等辅助活动的其他新闻从业人员，在从事采访、参加会议、听取传达、阅读文件等职务活动中，获取的各类信息、素材以及所采制的新闻作品，其中包含国家秘密、商业秘密、未公开披露的信息等。

第三条 新闻单位要坚持依法依规、趋利避害、善管善用、可管可控的原则，加强职务行为信息管理，确保新闻从业人员职务行为信息使用科学合理、规范有序。

第四条 新闻单位应健全保密制度，对新闻从业人员在职务行为中接触的国家秘密信息，应明确知悉范围和保密期限，健全国家秘密载体的收发、传递、使用、复制、保存和销毁制度，禁止非法复制、记录、存储国家秘密，禁止在任何媒体以任何形式传递国家秘密，禁止在私人交往和通信中涉及国家秘密。

新闻从业人员上岗应当经过保密教育培训，并签订保密承诺书。

第五条 新闻单位应按照《劳动合同法》的有关规定，与新闻从业人员就职务行为信息中的商业秘密、未公开披露的信息、职务作品等与知识产权相关的保密事项，签订职务行为信息保密协议，建立职务行为信息统一管理制度。

保密协议须分类明确新闻从业人员职务行为信息的权利归属、使用规范、离岗离职后的义务和违约责任。

新闻从业人员不得违反保密协议的约定，向其他境内外媒体、网站提供职务行为信息，或者担任境外媒体的“特约记者”、“特约通讯员”、“特约撰稿人”或专栏作者等。

第六条 新闻从业人员不得利用职务行为信息谋取不正当利益。

第七条 新闻从业人员以职务身份开设博客、微博、微信等，须经所在新闻单位批准备案，所在单位负有日常监管职责。

新闻从业人员不得违反保密协议的约定，通过博客、微博、微信公众账号或个人账号等任何渠道，以及论坛、讲座等任何场所，透露、发布职务行为信息。

第八条 新闻从业人员离岗离职要交回所有涉密材料、文件，在法律规定或协议约定的保密期限内履行保密义务。

第九条 新闻单位须将签署保密承诺书和职务行为信息保密协议，作为新闻从业人员劳动聘用和职务任用的必要条件，未签订的不得聘用和任用。

第十条 新闻采编人员申领、换领新闻记者证，须按照《新闻记者证管理办法》的规定提交有关申报材料，申报材料中未包含保密承诺书和职务行为信息保密协议的，不予核发新闻记者证。

第十一条 新闻单位应在参加新闻记者证年度核验时，向新闻出版广电行政部门报告新闻从业人员保密承诺书和保密协议签订、执行情况。

第十二条 新闻从业人员违反保密承诺和保密协议、擅自使用职务行为信息的，新闻单位应依照合同追究违约责任，视情节作出行政处理或纪律处分，并追究其民事责任。

第十三条 新闻单位的主管主办单位应督促所属新闻单位健全保密承诺和保密协议制度，履行管理责任；新闻出版广电行政部门应加强本行政区域内新闻单位职务行为信息管理情况的日常监督检查。

第十四条 新闻从业人员擅自发布职务行为信息造成严重后果的，由新闻出版广电行政部门依法吊销新闻记者证，列入不良从业行为记录，做出禁业或限业处理。

第十五条 新闻单位对新闻从业人员职务行为信息管理混乱，造成失密泄密、敲诈勒索、侵权等严重问题的，由新闻出版广电行政部门等依法查处，责令整改，对拒不改正或整改不到位的不予通过年度核验，情节严重的撤销许可证，并依法追究新闻单位负责人和直接责任人的责任。

第十六条 新闻从业人员违反规定使用职务行为信息造成失密泄密的，依法追究相关人员责任，涉嫌违法犯罪的移送司法机关处理。

第十七条 本办法自发布之日起施行。