From the Washington Post: “When a corruption scandal swept through this northern Chinese city several weeks ago, leading to the dismissal of five high-level officials, the Communist Party tried to keep it secret from the people. Newspapers and broadcast stations, under strict censorship, were allowed to report only that the five had resigned, without saying why, and even that came two weeks after the fact.
Many people in Harbin and the surrounding Heilongjiang province, based on experience in a region with a long history of official malfeasance, assumed bribery and influence-peddling were involved. But as the gossip and speculation buzzed through Harbin and made their way south to Beijing, authorities maintained silence and party censors forced a blackout on the media.”
