The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
Central Propaganda Department: Ji Zhonxing’s lawsuit against the Dongguan People’s Government will soon come to trial. When reporting on the case, all media must strictly follow local court reports. Do not exaggerate or sensationalize the story. (December 3, 2013)
中宣部：冀中星起诉东莞市人民政府案将于近日开庭审理，各媒体如作报道，严格按当地法院提供的通稿刊播，不渲染不炒作。
In July, wheelchair-bound Ji Zhongxing detonated a homemade explosive at the Beijing airport. In 2005, Ji was paralyzed after an alleged beating by security officers in Dongguan, Guangdong, and he spent eight unsuccessful years petitioning for redress. In the lead up to his trial, Ji received much public sympathy. During his initial hearing, Ji expressed regret for the explosion and claimed it was unintentional. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison in October by the Chaoyang District People’s Court, and the verdict was upheld in an appeal hearing last month. After Ji’s sentencing in October, his lawyer said they would bring a lawsuit against the Dongguan public security office.
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.
