A part-time television producer who allegedly faked a story about steam buns filled with cardboard was sentenced to one year in jail and fined 1,000 yuan Sunday, Chinese state media have reported.

Zi Beijia's so-called expose on Beijing TV showing a street vendor filling a bun with pre-soaked cardboard was aired July 8. Zi later said he bought the cardboard and hired four migrant workers to act out a choreographed scene.

Zi told the court he deeply regretted his actions, according to AsiaMedia. He said he was under pressure to make a name for himself, and earn extra money, as reporters are paid 5,000 yuan for special reports.

The expose came out while other reports about dangerous food and merchandise from China were circulating around the world. The Chinese government's crackdown on fake news was also a reaction to media reports outside the country about Chinese products' health risks. The Chinese government had previously accused foreign media of sensational reporting.