The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
State Council Information Office: Concerning the Tianshan Net release covering Public Security Officials striking down a terror gang in Shufu county, Xinjiang, all websites and interactive spaces must not recommend, feature, or focus on related topics or commentary. Also do not review news of previous violence. (December 16, 2013)
国新办：关于天山网发布的新疆疏附县公安机关打掉一暴恐团伙新闻，各网站以及互动环节对相关议题和评论不推荐、不置顶、不聚焦，也不要做往期暴力新闻的专栏回顾。
The provincial government-run news portal Tianshan Net reported that 14 people and two policeman were killed in a violent confrontation late on Sunday night. Official coverage and Ministry of Foreign Affairs comments say the incident was the result of an armed “terror gang” (暴恐团伙) suddenly attacking police who were pursuing criminal suspects.
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.
