Correction: The first directive originally mentioned “Snowden’s betrayal of the CIA.” “CIA” has been changed to “NSA.”
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to these instructions as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.”
Central Propaganda Department: Do not reprint, comment on, or investigate reports concerning Snowden’s betrayal of the NSA; articles already posted on websites must be removed. Forums and weibo groups must guide [public opinion] in a positive direction in the name of “strengthening confidence in the socialist path and rejuvenating the Chinese dream.” Follow-up coverage must follow Xinhua News Agency as the standard. Do not put reports on the front page and do not alter headlines; websites must not put reports on their homepages or make headlines more eye-catching. In addition, please republish Ren Zhongping’s article, make it a headline story, highlight it in bold and red, and organize follow-up comments. All media and websites are asked to strictly implement these directives. (June 19, 2013)
中宣部：不转，不评，不自采有关斯诺登出卖美国国家安全局的报道；各网站已发报道要删除，论坛，微博组织跟贴，以“增强社会主义道路自信，复兴中国梦”来正面引导。 后续报道以新华社为准，不上头版，不改标题；网站不上首页，不加粗套红。另请转载任仲平文章，头版，首页，套红，网站组织好后续跟贴服务。请各媒体网站严 格落实。
“Ren Zhongping” is a fictitious name based on the abbreviation Ren zhong ping (人重评), which stands for “important commentary from the People’s Daily” (人民日报重要评论).
State Council Information Office: All websites are asked to clean out harmful information which: (1) religionizes Mao Zedong Thought; (2) severs the connection between Mao Zedong Thought and Marxist-Leninist Thought; (3) glorifies the Cultural Revolution; (4) smears Mao’s moral character and private life; (5) opportunistically attacks the current system. (June 19, 2013)
国新办：请各网站清理以下有害信息，包括：1，将毛泽东思想宗教化，2，割裂毛泽东思想与马列主义的联系，3，美化文革，4，抹黑毛泽东个人品德及私生活，5，借机攻击现行体制等。
State Council Information Office: All websites are asked to delete information related to the connection between Fan Yue and Li Zhanshu. (June 19, 2013)
国新办：请所有网站查删范悦与栗战书联系的相关信息。
Fan Yue recently resigned from the State Archives Bureau Department of Policies and Laws after his jilted mistress, news anchor Ji Yingnan, posted photos of happier times together on Weibo. Ji told Hong Kong’s Apple Daily [zh] that after her broke up with her, Fan demanded she repay him for all the gifts he had lavished on her, even turning to violence. She has now implicated Li Zhanshu, currently of the Party Central Office, Fan’s “fellow Henanese” and apparently his behind-the-scenes support against Ji.
State Council Information Office: All websites are asked to remove the photo below. (June 19, 2013)
国新办：请各网站查删以下图片。
Opening Ceremony of the 2013 Jiaxing Dragon Boat Folk Culture Festival
& Gala Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Breaking Ground on the City
Jiaxing is a prefecture-level city in Zhejiang Province just south of Shanghai. Chinese netizens identified the provincial and national cadres and businesspeople [zh] in this photo.
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.
