media - Reporter seeks 'disclosure' by law

The China Media Project from Hong Kong University writes about a reporter who is suing the Shanghai government based on a regulation on the "openess of information". Chinese media seem to have been debating the issue already, but only now the issue shows up at my radar. (tipped by the China Digital Times.)

Southern Metropolis Daily, one of the country's top newspapers, called the pending lawsuit "historic". "We salute this reporter's courage, and even more we hope people pay attention to this new topic of discussion", the paper said.

Shanghai reporter Ma Cheng is suing the City Planning Bureau after the Bureau repeatedly avoided his requests for interviews. The court has accepted the case.
It is the first time a reporter challenges the government in court and other media are speculating that this might be the beginning of a radical change in China's media.

Update: It is now one week later and the China Digital Times reports that Ma Cheng has suddenly dropped the suit, without giving any reason.