People's Daily stresses guiding public opinion for Party

BEIJING, Feb. 19, 2016 -- Chinese PresidentXi Jinping(2nd L) is briefed on the development history of the People's Daily in Beijing, capital of China, on Feb. 19, 2016. Xi on Friday visited the People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television, the nation's three leading news providers. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Feb. 20 -- The People's Daily carried an editorial following President Xi Jinping's visits to China's three leading news providers on Friday, stressing Party- and government-run news outlets' mission and responsibility in guiding public opinion.

The Communist Party of China (CPC)'s flagship newspaper said in the article that "all (publicity) work should be conducive to Party leadership, the socialist system, reforms, solidarity of different ethnic groups as well as social harmony and stability."

The editorial urged reporters and editors to prioritize upholding the correct political direction while carrying out their mission and responsibilities.

"In upholding the correct political direction, one must strictly adhere to Party leadership, keeping a high degree of uniformity with the CPC Central Committee in terms of ideology, political thought and actions," it continued.

The editorial also called on news reporters and editors to be "disseminators of the Party's policies and propositions, recorders of the times, agents of social progress and guards of equality and justice."

The editorial emphasized the traditional importance of guiding public opinion for the CPC. "Marxist political parties have always regarded the work of guiding public opinion as a sharp weapon in revolution." Guiding public opinion for the Party is crucial to governance of the country, it said.

The work of leading public opinion is at the very forefront of the ideological battle, the editorial said, calling for a common ideological ground for pursuing the Chinese dream.

The editorial also called on capacity building in guiding public opinion to better rally public support and enthusiasm for achieving the Chinese dream of a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Xi visited the headquarters of the People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television Friday.