According to a document attributed to the Henan province propaganda department, the following are the regulations on reporting this subject. [Please note that I cannot attest to the authenticity of the document which has been zipping around websites, forums and email. Whoever was the original source is ‘guilty’ of either ‘leaking states secrets’ or ‘creating harmful false information that inflames public emotions and causes social panic.’]
[In translation]
1. Pay attention to controlling the amount of reporting on the situation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Make sure that the coverage intensity fluctuates so that the matter is not hyped up.
2. The publishing of related articles must be carefully examined. All important news articles about the HPAI situation in our province must be passed through our provincial Animal Farming Department; if necessary, the articles must also be passed by the provincial Center for Disease Control HPAI Command Center as well as related national departments. No unit or individual can release reports about the epidemic on their own. Certain important situations can be reported upwards through Internal Reference and other channels of communication.