China's rapid economic rise has not brought greater press freedom, as shown again by the arrest of a whistle-blowing reporter.

Ji Xuguang, a journalist for Southern Metropolis Daily, was detained last week by authorities for publishing exposing a former civil servant who kept six women as his sex slaves for two years, The New York Times reported.

According to reports, Ji's stories are endangering Luoyang City's chances of joining a national "Civilized City" competition.

"I was only thinking about how to make my story as accurate as possible and to satisfy the public's right to know, but I soon discovered that I failed to address the most important issue -- face," wrote Ji on his article for Southern Metropolis Daily.

In Asian cultures, "saving face" is a top social norm, especially for those in government or public service.

"Before the truth becomes a state secret, the public and I need answers," he wrote, suggesting authorities have kept the public in the dark about crimes that took place two miles from police headquarters in Luoyang City, Henan Province.

Ji wrote he had been accused of revealing state secrets for exposing a crime more than two weeks from the date the accused Li Hao, who kept six women as "sex slaves", was arrested. Li also is accused of killing two of the six women and deliberately keeping them undernourished to maike them too weak to fight back.

Ji maintained he only published the facts as relayed to him by authorities because he believed exposing a heinous crime will serve as a warning to deter potential criminals and to alert women to keep their guard up at all times, particularly if they work at night shift. The six women were individually abducted by Li, 34, from videoke bars and nightclubs, where they worked as regulars.