China Promulgates Rules for Evaluation of Online Literature Organizations
SAPPRFT, 6/27/17
China's State Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) recently announced new rules for evaluating the social benefits produced by organizations offering online literature publication services. The term "social benefits" refers to the positive effects or results produced for society as a consequence of the organization's online literature publication activity.
Online literature publication service organizations are organizations that use information networks to offer online literary works to the public, including operating original online literature websites and online literature reading platforms.
Social benefits are evaluated according to five metrics, including publishing quantity, distribution capability, content creation, system development, and social and cultural impact. Social benefits will be evaluated on an annual basis through a process involving both self-evaluation by work units and review by administrative organizations.
At the end of January every year, online literature publishing organizations will evaluate themselves based on their performance during the previous year and will create a self-evaluation report to send to local press and publication administrative agencies.
Local press and publication administrative agencies will organize or delegate responsibility to analyze, respond to, and approve work units' self-evaluation reports, to verify their score and ratings.
At the end of March every year, each provincal-level press and publication agency will collate the results of their review of social benefit reports within their administrative area, and will transmit the results to SAPPRFT for recordkeeping.
For online literature publication services with poor evaluation results, provincial-level press and publication administrative agencies should issue criticism, hold discussions with responsible parties, and cancel the organization's rights to participate in annual recognition and award programs. If a work unit receives poor evaluations two years in a row, then SAPPRFT headquarters should also issue criticism and meet with those responsible to identify correction requirements. Cases of legal or regulatory violations will be prosecuted in accordance with law.
If an organization has positive evaluations for two years in a row, then additional funding support may be awarded for purposes such as reviewing and promoting literary works and arranging foreign exchanges.
The new SAPPRFT regulations will go into effect on July 1, 2017.
Keywords: Internet online literature SAPPRFT regulation