Caroline Ford wrote:
Let's wait until we hear from the Chinese users, rather than filtered via foreign media..
Well, you can get it confirmed by Xinhua, the official state media: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/26/content_3544488.htm
Although they spin it as a way to crack down on "fabricated information, pornography, gambling, or violence", the most relevant paragraph confirms the widely reported new registration requirements:
"News sites set up by news organizations but publishing not just their own stories, and sites by other organizations featuring news stories must get approval from the State Council Information Office. Sites by news organizations that only carry their own stories should register at the main office or provincial information offices."
-Mark