Latest Directives From the Ministry of Truth, March 10-18, 2011
The following examples of censorship instructions, issued to the media and/or Internet companies by various central (and sometimes local) government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to those instructions as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.” CDT has collected the selections we translate here from a variety of sources and has checked them against official Chinese media reports to confirm their implementation
State Council Information Office: Article from China-Tibet Web
March 18, 2011
From the State Council Information Office: All websites are requested to repost, in its entirety and in a prominent location, the article from China-Tibet Web, “Can Seeds of Enmity Bear Fruits of Harmony?” It is not permitted to change the title, and the article must remain up until March 19, 10:00 am.
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State Council Information Office: Radiation Levels in Urban Areas
March 16, 2011
From the State Council Information Office: Starting on March 17, all websites are requested to prominently repost on their front pages information regarding radiation levels in main urban areas, provided by the Environmental Protection Department. This information must be placed in a fixed location, and note that it must be updated every day. All provincial-level Internet surveillance and propaganda Departments are requested to strictly examine websites under their jurisdiction, and strictly enforce the demands of this notice.
Every day, all websites that provide cell-phone reports must also issue, “Daily Radiation Levels in Main Urban Areas From the Environmental Protection Department (Office of National Nuclear Safety).” All mobile phone companies must understand that this is a political duty, and immediately implement it.
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Central Propaganda Department: Property Taxes
March 14, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Regarding Shanghai’s and Chongqing’s experiments with initiating property taxes, opinions that property taxes steal money are not to be reported or hyped.
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State Council Information Office: Unilateralism, Hillary Clinton style
March 14, 2011
From the State Council Information Office: All websites are requested to repost, on the front page and in a prominent position, the story, “Internet Freedom: Unilateralism, Hillary Clinton style.” It is not permitted to change the title, and the article must stay on the front page until March 15, 6:00 am.
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State Council Information Office: Concern and Love for Tibetan Students
State Council Information Office: Concern and Love for Tibetan Students
State Council Information Office: All websites must post on their front page news section the article, “For 33 years, 75-year-old Professor Yang Changlin has Shown Concern and Love for Tibetan College Students in Almost 10,000 Instances.” Leave this article up until the day after tomorrow (the 15th) at 6 pm.
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March 13, 2011
From the State Council Information Office:
Central Propaganda Department: Large Earthquake in Japan
March 13, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Media must solidly grasp reporting on disaster conditions after the large earthquake in Japan, and objectively and quickly report on trends as they develop. Place particular emphasis on grasping the relationship between anti-seismic and relief efforts for the Japan and Yunnan earthquakes and propaganda reporting for the national meetings of the “Two Congresses.” Do not weaken the theme of reporting on the Two Congresses.
We must fully propagandize the state of the rescue work that our teams have initiated in Japan. We must closely follow the circumstances of Chinese people and overseas Chinese in Japan.
Do not deliberately criticize or champion the actions of the Japanese government, and do not make any comparisons with anti-seismic and rescue efforts in our country. Give scientific explanations of the explosions and leaks at the nuclear facilities. Do not play up or casually speculate and analyze the influence of leaks on China.
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Central Propaganda Department: An Illegal Gathering in Shandong
March 12, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: On March 13, there will possibly be illegal gatherings and activities in Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai, Weifang, and Rizhao. Do not give interviews or reports.
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Central Propaganda Department: The Super Moon
March 12, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Media are not to hype the super moon. It is not permitted to draw connections between the moon, earthquake, fires, and other natural disasters. It is allowed to use scientific explanations circulated by the Xinhua News Agency, and purely astronomical information issued by expert Departments can be published.
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Central Propaganda Department: Housing Rationing in Shenzhen
March 12, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Media are not to hype questions about housing rationing in Qiaoxiang Village and Shenyun Village, Shenzhen. Related information should use information from Shenzhen authorities as the standard. Do not give independent interviews or commentary.
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Central Propaganda Department: The Yunnan Earthquake and the Two Congresses
March 12, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: For the Yunnan earthquake, we must mainly report on the active rescue activities of political leaders. We absolutely must not allow the earthquakes to dilute the message of the Two Congresses. We cannot report on representative members being absent from the meetings.
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Central Propaganda Department: Cultural Industrialization
March 12, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: In related reports, media cannot use the term “cultural industrialization.”
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Central Propaganda Department: Family Planning
March 12, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Media are not to hype family planning problems. Do not report on the issue of having two children. Policy changes on famiy planning will use information issued by authorities as the standard.
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The State Administration of Radio Film and Television: Direct Television Broadcasts From Outside our Borders
March 12, 2011
From The State Administration of Radio Film and Television: It is not allowed to directly broadcast television programs originating from outside our borders. If there are currently any such broadcasts reporting on the earthquake in Japan, immediately cut them off.
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Central Propaganda Department: The Earthquakes in Yunnan and Japan
March 12, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: When reporting on the current earthquakes, media are not to compare the earthquake in Yunnan with the earthquake in Japan.
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Shanghai Propaganda Department: Han Han
March 12, 2011
Shanghai Party Committee Propaganda Department: Activities and comments related to Han Han, beyond his car racing, are not to be reported.
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Central Propaganda Department: He Hongsang, Macau Gambling King
March 11, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Do not report on the partitioning of household assets of He Hongsang, the gambling king of Macau.
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Central Propaganda Department: Taxi Strike in Lanzhou
March 11, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Do not report on the taxi strike in Lanzhou.
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Central Propaganda Department: Exchange Student in Norway Injured While Parachuting
March 11, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Do not report on the incident of an exchange student in Norway injuring himself after parachuting from a tower at the Chinese Academy of Science.
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Central Propaganda Department: Xu Commits Suicide
March 11, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Do not report on the suicide and death of Xu, Assistant Director of the Testing Center at the National Administration College.
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Central Propaganda Department: Delegate Absences at the Two Congresses
March 11, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Do not report on the absences of delegates from the Two Congresses.
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Central Propaganda Department: Tax Evasion by Ma Zhongqi
March 11, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Do not report on the case of tax evasion by Ma Zhongqi in Huaiyuan county, Ningxia.
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Central Propaganda Department: Standardization of Proposals at the Two Congresses
March 11, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Do not report on the need to standardize responses to proposals and motions at the Two Congresses.
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Central Propaganda Department: Coal Mining in Shanxi
March 11, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Do not report on the sinkholes caused by coal mining in Shanxi.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: Mismanagement of the Automobile Industry
March 11, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: On March 9, China Management Report (Zhongguo jingying bao) and Southern Metropolis (Nanfang dushi bao) report on Huang Qifang’s criticism that some people have mismanaged the automobile industry. All newspapers are not to re-publish or report the story.
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Central Propaganda Department: Chunxiao Gas Field
March 10, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Department: Do not report on extractions in the Chunxiao gas field by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (Zhonghaiyou).
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In China, several political bodies are in charge of Internet content control. At the highest level, there is the Central Propaganda Department, which ensures that media and cultural content follows the official line as mandated by the CCP. Then there is the State Council Information Office (SCIO), which has established an “Internet Affairs Bureau” to oversee all Websites that publish news, including the official sites of news organizations as well as independent sites that post news content.
This “Internet Affairs Bureau,” sends out very specific instructions to all large news websites daily, and often multiple times per day. Those instructions do not always mean that related contents are completely banned online, but they instruct websites to highlight or suppress certain type of opinions or information in a very detailed manner.
Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to those instructions, as well as other type of censorship orders to media and websites, as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.” The Ministry of Truth (or Minitrue, in Newspeak) is one of the four ministries that govern Oceania in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the Chinese blogosphere, it is the online nickname for the Central Propaganda Department and generally speaking, all other subordinate propaganda agencies including Internet supervision departments.
Today, it’s been said that news does not break, it tweets. For the officials in the the Ministry of Truth, the news is that their supposedly confidential instructions get tweeted as well.
