The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
Central Propaganda Department: Matters Needing Attention During the Two Sessions: (1) Without exception, do not report on officials’ financial disclosure during the Two Sessions; do not comment; do not republish reports from foreign media. (2) During the Two Sessions, coverage of sudden incidents or mass incidents in Shaanxi Province must go through the Propaganda Department and then listen to planned reports. (3) For the time being, regional media must cease monitoring public opinion outside the borders of their jurisdiction. (4) Without exception, all information on the issue of anti-corruption which has not been verified by the discipline inspection commissions of your respective jurisdiction must not be reported. (5) Reduce the number of negative articles on home pages. The Internet Information Office [probably of the State Council Information Office] requests timely management of this task. Particularly ensure that social networking sites are taken care of. (6) Media personnel must not post information which is harmful to the government on their Weibo accounts. All weibos posted by media organizations, reporters, and editors must represent their respective work units. (7) Report less on interaction among the leadership. Do not report “shocking” news on representatives. Do not turn reporting on the Two Sessions into entertainment. Report more on the voices of grassroots representatives and committee members. (8) Reuse reports from authoritative media sources and complete coordinated reports [with these sources]. (9) Reports on learning from Lei Feng must not veer off course or have a negative influence. (10) Coverage of congress amenities and work style and the Clean Plate Campaign must focus on new accomplishments, but rein in the scope [or reporting]. (March 3, 2013)
中 宣部：两会期间报道注意事项：1）涉及官员财产公示报道，两会期间一律不报道，不评论，不转发境外媒体报道。2）两会期间陕西突发事件及群体性事件，需报 经宣传部后，听从安排报道。3）各地媒体暂时停止跨地域舆论监督。4）所有未经各地党委纪律检查委员会证实的各类反腐信息，一律不要报道。5）减少首页负 面稿件数目，网络信息办公室要求处置的要及时处理，重点管理好社交网络。6）媒体从业人员微博不得发布对政治有害消息，媒体法人，记者，编辑微博所发内容 代表单位名义。7）少报道领导互动，不报道代表委员“雷人雷语”，不把两会报道娱乐化，多报道基层代表和委员声音。8）转发来源使用权威媒体报道，配合性 报道要做足。9）学雷锋报道不得偏离方向，出现负面影响。10）会风，作风，光盘行动报道重点在取得新的成就，但要把握好尺度。
Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to these 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.
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The original publication date on CDT Chinese is noted after the directives; the date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.
