Latest Chinese Government Directives To Censor Reports Of Official Corruption

Dec 162012
 

Ministry of Truth: Reporting Official Corruption

National Energy Administration head Liu Tienan in Japan, 1998. editor Luo Changping has reported him for disciplinary inspection.

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Another Example Of Pointless Media Censorship In China

Sep 212012
 

And just what purpose does hiding this from the public serve?

Urgent Notice from the Liaoning Provincial Department of Propaganda: Do not conduct interviews, report or comment on the case of City Party Secretary leaving the country without authorization. (August 26, 2012)

辽宁省委宣传部紧急通知：对辽宁凤城市委书记王国强擅自离境一事，不采访，不报道，不评论。

The CDT says that according to Radio France Internationale [zh], Wang Guoqiang is rumored to have fled the country with a large sum of money to evade a investigation. He is thought to have siphoned funds from heating bills. Since bought the local thermoelectric plant, the city has gone without heat for two winters, while still charging residents for “maintenance.”

My guess is trying to hide this has done nothing for the public and a lot of damage to the authorities already tatty reputation. It may have been a vain attempt to save some officials embarrassment or awkward questions but did the authors of this directive really think no-one was going to notice they were freezing and and man in charge of keeping them warm had disappeared with a load of cash?

If you have a censorship policy because you believe it is necessary to protect social harmony then it needs to be used sparingly and with caution. Once it becomes nothing but a tool for the crooked, the weak or the incompetent to hide their faults then social harmony is heading out the door passing social upheaval making its way in.

Chinese Policy On Protests Then And Now – Directives From the Ministry Of Truth

Sep 212012
 

The China Digital Times excellent column “Directives from the Ministry of Truth” highlights the instructions officials hand out to media regarding how they want stories covered or not.

Recently they released an archived set of instructions relating to dealing with protests around the Beijing Olympics. It provides and fascinating insight into the tiny minds of the censors.


A pro-Tibet protester tries to take the Olympic torch, 2008. (Yang Zhen Dong)

This week’s featured directive, issued in April 2008 by the Province information portal, shows the power of “guidance” (引导) over in China. At that time, the Olympic torch relay was plagued at every stop by human rights groups and Tibet independence supporters. After a wheelchair-bound torchbearer was attacked in Paris, netizens called for a boycott of the French hypermarket Carrefour. “The biggest shareholder of Carrefour donated huge money to the ,” fumed the netizen demanding the boycott, “and even the French president has announced boycott of the .”

The directive below instructs provincial websites on how to direct online discussion of the boycott. Read the original Chinese here:

On-duty staff at the Internet office: Each website in every locality must adopt measures concerning netizens boycotting Carrefour and related management prompts to properly tamp down online discussion and prevent a loss of control from influencing domestic . Prepare your reports, guidance and management according to the following requirements:

(1) Give protection to the patriotic fervor of netizens who support the Olympics, who oppose “Tibet independence” and who denounce Western media’s distorted reporting and insults to China. Direct the discussion at the Dalai clique’s secessionist forces, as well as the vile material produced by CNN and a small number of other Western media.

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