China Suspends Site For 'Spreading Rumors' China suspends site for 'spreading rumors' Paul Jones
In a case that exemplifies the Chinese government's ambivalence over the Internet, a Web site based in the central city of Wuhan has been fined and temporarily closed for carrying what police called a false media report.
According to state-controlled media and a notice posted on the home page of the China Finance Information Network, the site was also fined $1,807 for carrying a report by the Hong Kong Chinese-language newspaper The Sun. The report claimed the vice governor of Hubei province had accepted graft from a local company in the form of stock options.
The notice on the Web site said its closure, which began May 13 and continues until May 28, was punishment for ''spreading rumors.'' Ominously, it also said the report had ''affected foreign investment.''
