China and the Media: The Thrill is Gone
China’s love affair with media openness in the wake of last month’s tragic earthquake seems to have come to an end — unsurprisingly, right around the time that the attention took on a negative hue:
The propaganda ministry and the State Council, China’s Cabinet, have issued directives to state-run news media outlining forbidden topics. Among them: questions about school construction, whether government rescue efforts lagged and whether Beijing knew in advance that the earthquake would happen but failed to warn people. Although the latter issue is scientifically questionable, it has nonetheless transfixed millions of Chinese Internet users.
