Freedom of Press: March 2006 Archives

By Reuters | The New York Times
March 31, 2006

BEIJING (Reuters) - The fate of Rolling Stone in China hangs in the balance weeks after the highly popular release of the first issue, as a press watchdog cited problems with the magazine's trade practices rather than controversial content.

A source with the regulatory Shanghai Press and Publication Bureau denied a report that the U.S.-based rock magazine, which quickly sold out its first print run this month of more than 100,000 copies, had been banned but said its partnership with a local publication had not been ``satisfactorily explained.''

The first edition included a cover of Cui Jian -- China's rock pioneer -- banned from performing on the mainland until recently, and Mu Zimei, a controversial blogger whose candid accounts of sexual adventures led to her site being closed down.

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