Legal Daily
Legal Daily remains a state-owned publication squarely focused on legal affairs—covering developments such as landmark court rulings, new legislation, and legal reforms. Since 2001, its oversight shifted from the Ministry of Justice to the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, where it still resides.
It also issues two internal “neican” editions: one broadly circulated to officials nationwide and a more tightly controlled version reserved for those directly involved in specific legal matters.
Media assets
Publishing: Fǎzhì Rìbào
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
The Chinese government, through the CCP’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, holds sway over Legal Daily—effectively calling the shots on its strategic direction and content agenda.
Source of funding and budget
As confirmed by journalists and experts in March 2024, the publication is fully financed by the government arm that owns it—meaning it operates on public coffers with no known independent revenue streams beyond its official backing.
Editorial independence
Legal Daily operates in lockstep with state policy. Its output undergoes routine censorship, ensuring alignment with government messaging. Notably, there are no formal internal rules shielding editors from political oversight, nor is there any independent mechanism to assess its editorial autonomy—it functions entirely within the state’s orbit.
August 2025