The following example of censorship instructions, issued to the media and/or Internet companies by various central (and sometimes local) government authorities, has 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.
Guangdong Provincial Department of Propaganda: (1) Upcoming reports on food safety must be strictly checked. Do not play up or exaggerate the situation. (2) Use Xinhua copy as a guide in reporting quality issues related to national food companies. (3) Follow official statements in reporting provincial food safety issues and play down the situation. Do not publish stories on front pages. Do not follow the stories in detail. (4) Solicit the view of the provincial Office of Food Safety prior to releasing major broadcasts and articles.
广东省委宣传部：1.近期有关食品安全的报道，要严格把关，不炒作不渲染。 2.对涉及国内大型食品企业产品质量的报道，原则上只采用新华社稿。 3.对省内食品安全报道，应以权威部门发布的信息为准，并淡化处理，不上头版导读，不作深度跟踪报道。 4.重要稿件刊播前，应征求省食品安全办公室意见。
