Chinese reporters arrested for extortion - report

BEIJING, May 16 (Reuters) Chinese authorities have arrested four newspaper reporters for extortion and called on the press to ensure such incidents do not happen again, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The journalists worked for the Economic Daily, China Food Quality Newspaper and two other publications, Xinhua said in a report issued late last night, citing a notice from the State Administration of Press and Publications.

The reporters extorted money from companies or institutions after learning about problems, demanding cash to ensure negative stories did not see the light of day, Xinhua said.

The reporters all worked in provincial branches of their publications, some of which had not received government permission to be set up, the report added.

The incidents damaged the reputation of the media in China and managers must take steps to ensure it does not happen again, Xinhua said.

''These reporters are suspected of extortion and fraud and had a bad effect upon the masses, seriously affecting the reputation of the news publishing industry,'' Xinhua said.

It is not uncommon in China for low-paid journalists to earn double their salaries or more by accepting envelopes stuffed with cash from companies to ensure positive and prominent coverage.

But China has also been stepping up a crackdown on increasingly free-wheeling media that has to sell newspapers and magazines in a fiercely competitive environment, and censors have been curbing ''unhealthy content'' like sex and violence.

The government has sacked editors at some of China's bolder publications, and this month sees at least four journalists and Internet writers going on trial for criticising the Communist Party or otherwise angering the authorities.

REUTERS PG PM0625