Latest Directives From the Ministry of Truth, March 2-7, 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: In China 94% Are Unhappy; Top-Heavy Concentration of Wealth
March 7, 2011
From the State Council Information Office: All websites are requested to immediately remove the story “In China 94% Are Unhappy; Top-Heavy Concentration of Wealth” and related information. Forums, blogs, micro-blogs, and other interactive spaces are not to discuss the matter.
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State Council Information Office: Meticulously Propagandize and Report on the “Two Congresses”
March 5, 2011
From the State Council Information Office: All local websites must meticulously propagandize and report on the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress. Set up special areas, columns, and webpages on the “Two Congresses,” and set up “Two Congress” headlines in prominent positions. These must stand out and give off an animated and grand propagandistic air. It is required to provide timely, accurate, and full reporting on the important activities of Party and state leaders at the “Two Congresses.”
All websites are to fully employ the capabilities offered by Internet media, and comprehensively utilize text, images, animation, and other multi-media interactive forms of propaganda to report on the Two Congresses. This is particularly necessary for the important content and spirit of the opening ceremonies of the Two Congresses, news conferences, and working reports of the government and the standing committee of the National Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress.
In general, propaganda requires that we circle around and hold high the flag of the Party; focus on building up the interests of the nation; in all things serve the people; and maintain reform and innovation. Please emphasize positive propagandizing of unity, stability, and enthusiasm. All reports must fully reflect the democracy of the meetings, and the general scene of unity, fact-seeking, and bold advancement.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: High-speed Rail Cases
March 4, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: All media must carefully report on any cases related to high-speed rail.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: Self-immolation in Beijing
March 4, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: All media are not to report on the self-immolation in Beijing of a man from Qinhuangdao.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: “Proposal King” of the Two Congresses
March 4, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: In their reports on the proposals before the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress, media are in all cases to use copy circulated from the Xinhua news agency. Do not hype the “Proposal King*”; do not question the function of the Consultative Congress.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: Liu Zhijun’s Mistresses
March 4, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: All media are not to report or hype the news that Liu Zhijun had 18 mistresses.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: Liu Xiang’s Lack of Preparation
March 4, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: All media are not to hype People’s Congress and People’s Political Consultative Congress representative Liu Xiang’s lack of preparation.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: The People’s Security Apparatus Fears the People.
March 4, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: All media are not to report on excessive use of public security in Beijing during the meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress. Do not hype the story “The People’s Security Apparatus Fears the People.”
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Central Propaganda Bureau: Corruption of Party Committee Secretary in Wushe County, Henan
March 4, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: All media are not to report on the corruption case of the Party Committee Secretary in Wushe County, Henan.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: Student Death at Hebei Industrial University
March 4, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: All media are not to report on the death of a Hebei Industrial University (Hebei gongye daxue) at a train station in Daqing.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: Student at Southeast University Distributes Leaflets
March 4, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: All media are not to report on the student from Southwest University (Dongnan daxue) who illegally assembled and distributed pamphlets.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: Salary Increases for the PLA
March 3, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: All media are not to hype the salary increase given to the People’s Liberation Army.
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State Council Information Office: Electronic Book: Shenyun xianyin
March 3, 2011
From the State Council Information Office: All websites are requested to immediately remove all of the so-called “romantic novel” Shenyun xianyin written by the Buddhist writer “Cibei shengyin” (“Merciful Sagely Voice), as well as related information, from websites and e-book downloading pages. Online forums, blogs, micro-blogs, and other interactive spaces are not to discuss them.
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Central Propaganda Bureau: Jasmine
March 2, 2011
From the Central Propaganda Bureau: Media are not to report on any information related to “Chinese Jasmine.”
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State Council Information Office: China Banking Regulatory Commission’s Official Network Appears to Have Leaked the Personal Information of 188 Citizens
March 2, 2011
From the State Council Information Office: All websites are requested to immediately search for and delete the story “Citizens’ Personal Information is Precious: China Banking Regulatory Commission Appears to Have Leaked the Personal Information of 188 Citizens.” All websites and interactive spaces, including online forums, blogs, micro-blogs, instant messaging services, and text messaging services are to thoroughly search for and immediate delete this story and related information.
Citizens’ Personal Information is More Important Than Heaven: China Banking Regulatory Commission Appears to Have Leaked the Personal Information of 188 Citizens
February 28, 2011 11:14 pm
Editor: admin Hits: 143
This evening, Gui Wenzi received some explosive information from an online friend saying that there was a situation with China Regulatory Banking Commission’s Official Network.
I followed my friend’s suggestion and went to the website for a look. Indeed, something was there! In a document attached to an announcement issued on January 28, 2011, there was some content that possibly leaked some citizens’ personal information.
I opened up one item and downloaded one of the documents, entitled “Roster of Examinees who Took Written Tests and Interviewed for [Entry Into] Special Academic Fields.” I took a quick glance, and the names of quite a few examinees and their identification card numbers were all listed. Shrinking the size of this chart, I discovered that lines 1,423 to 1,610 included additional information. The roster included a total of 3,721 examinees, so why only after the information of these particular examines was there additional content? Could it be that these examinees from line 1,423 to line 1,610 are somehow special?
I looked at this content a bit closer. My god! I saw only that it astonishingly included the home address of the examinees, their flight numbers, cell phone numbers, post office boxes, as well as their work history, school record, names and work units of close relatives, and other information. There are 188 lines between lines 1,423 to 1,610, which is to say that this information, belonging to 188 comrades, had sadly been leaked.
I wonder if this is some “good deed” done by a worker at the China Banking Regulatory Commission. 188: this number is truly lucky!
I hope that other workers at China Banking Regulatory Commission pay attention. The China Banking Regulatory Commission has been authorized to provide centralized supervision and management of banks, financial and capital management companies, investment trust companies, and other financial deposit institutions. It protects the legal and steady operations of the banking industry. For its personnel, “meticulousness” is a required quality!
At the same time, I plead to the government and comrades in other bureaus that the personal information of citizens is precious. Please respect the personal information rights of citizens, and appropriately protect their personal information. Thank you!
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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.
* A “proposal king” is an official who submits a large number of proposals at a session of congress. The title, “proposal king”, has been shared by a number of provincial and national legislators (including Feng Hongbin (17 proposals), Zhang Rong (16 proposals) and Peng Linyi (15 proposals)). Perhaps the most well known “proposal king” today is Su Xing who submitted a record 43 proposals to the Consultative Congress.
