China’s media regulator has cracked down on online video spoofs and parodies, according to state-run media outlet Xinhua.
Video sites now must ban any videos that “distort, mock, or defame classical literary and art works,” the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television stated in a directive yesterday. Reuters noted that the directive was marked “extra urgent,” which is uncommon and means that citizens must comply immediately or risk being shut down by authorities. The directive only applies to online videos, but since China largely has control of its film and television industries, one wouldn’t expect to see mocking parodies there to begin with.
The directive also said that videos must promote the “fine...
