Chinese reporters and editors who fabricate stories or take bribes will face stern punishments, including confiscation of their press cards and a five-year ban from report work, according to a provisional regulation on the management of journalists.

The regulation, recently issued by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the General Administration of Press and Publication, aims at "maintaining justice, authenticity and objectivity in news reporting."

The regulation forbids reporters and editors from taking advantage of news coverage to seek illicit benefits or taking gifts that might influence their writing. They are also prohibited from operating businesses or taking concurrent jobs at other press or economic organizations.

The regulation orders reporters to carry and show press cards on their own initiative in interviews.

People who impersonate reporters will be given "severe penalties." Journalists who are bribed to report unjustly or write stories with false information can have their press cards revoked and be barred from news writing for five years.

If they are given criminal penalties for violating laws, they may not take the press work for the rest of their life, according to the regulation.

Meanwhile, it also warns reporters, editors, producers, anchorpersons and announcers not to get involved in advertisement deals. They are forbidden from forcing interviewees to subscribe to their newspapers or periodicals or to buy ads and from providing financial support by publishing praise or criticism.

The General Administration of Press and Publication issued 146,541 new press cards by January, hoping to curb the rampancy of phony cards.

The press watchdog also issued a series of new media regulations, which went into effect on March 1. According to the regulations, government officials may not hold concurrent posts in local offices of newspapers and newspaper offices may not engage in commercial activities.

China has about 150,000 journalists. More than 70,000 are writers for newspapers and magazines, and more than 60,000 are from broadcasting and TV stations. The rest work for news agencies,such as Xinhua.