China had 231,564 press-card holding journalists at the end of 2017, according to a report released by the All-China Journalists Association (ACJA) Tuesday.
Of these journalists, 84,761 worked for newspapers, 6,324 for periodicals, 2,849 for news agencies, 136,224 for radio, TV stations or production firms, and 1,406 were employed by news websites.
This was the fourth time ACJA has released an annual report on journalism development in China.
The report noted that "Media convergence remains the theme for media development in China in 2017," with accelerated and upgraded integration of traditional and new media, as well as deepening integrated development of content, platforms, channels, technologies and management.
The Communist Party of China and the central government have attached great importance to the development of the press, the report said.
The Party and government organs and media associations introduced a series of policies last year to support the development of the media industry, encourage news outlets to adopt new technologies and applications, and boost innovation and reform.
Noting the booming media market, the report said the flow of online information has been safe and orderly, netizens have been expressing their opinions in a more rational way and the influence of positive energy has been expanding.
Managing the online environment has transitioned from the traditional unitary administration of the government to a more diversified and interactive way of comprehensive management, it added.
The report was compiled by departments including ACJA, the State Administration of Radio and Television as well as the Cyberspace Administration of China.