Chinese Communist Paper Slams Q&A Apps for Giving Easy Answers

  • People’s Daily takes aim at Quora-like services in editorial
  • Zhihu and other apps become the latest in a line of targets
China fans cheer on their team against Canada at PGE Park in Portland, Oregon, October 2, 2003. Canada defeated China 1-0 in The 2003 Women's World Cup Quarterfinal. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

Photographer: Tom Hauck/Getty Images 

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

China’s most influential government newspaper is turning its gaze to Quora-like platforms that aim to answer users’ questions -- sometimes for a fee.

Zhihu, Fenda, Dedao and Sina’s iask are among a cohort of increasingly popular Chinese services that blend Quora and Reddit, allowing millions to pose and respond to questions, or pay to hear from celebrities and experts. That model has raised the ire of the People’s Daily, which says the best critical thinking is done slowly and people have become too dependent on easy answers supplied over the internet.