News media in China ostensibly operate to reinforce and promote the edicts and values of the government.

And the government and Party do not seem pleased with the current state of the news reporting in China. The Cyberspace Administration of China's Beijing office has reportedly sent messages to top Chinese Internet portals to curtail and stop some part of their news reporting operations.

Nasdaq-listed companies like Sina.com, Sohu.com, and Netease.com have all started disbanding various investigative and lifestyle news sections on their respective sites. Sina closed its "Geek News" section; Sohu stopped some of its lifestyle columns; and Netease closed its "Echo" news column.

The Beijing Municipal Information Office says it will levy fines against websites that fail to adhere to "good" content and the "Provisions on the Administration of Internet News Information Services".

By ordering closure of some of these news operations, the Chinese government is stopping the type of investigative reporting that may cast the ruling Party in a negative light.