BEIJING - A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Thursday called on Chinese media to uphold truth and boycott fake and paid news.

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, asked Chinese media to grasp the right direction of public opinion and devote more coverage to positive stories.

Liu made the remarks when meeting journalists at the annual ceremony of China's top journalism awards in Beijing.

The official urged Chinese journalists to keep to social responsibilities, abide by professional ethics and give priority to the social effects of their reports.

Liu also urged the press to contribute to the realization of the "Chinese dream" and give more coverage to common people.

Liu's remarks follow a recent scandal involving Chen Yongzhou, a former reporter for Guangzhou-based daily newspaper New Express, who was arrested on October 30 for allegedly causing damage to the commercial reputation of Zoomlion, an engineering company in Changsha, provincial capital of Hunan Province.

Chen confessed to blackmailing the company as well as fabricating a series of reports targeting the firm.