The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
CDT contributing cartoonist Badiucao recently posted this portrait of Mandela.
Central Propaganda Department: All media and websites must exercise caution while gathering material and reporting news on the December 5 death of former South African President Nelson Mandela. Do not emphasize Mandela’s opinions on issues of human rights and democracy. Pay special attention to image and video releases. Do not touch upon content related to Mandela’s association with the Dalai Lama or relationship with Taiwan. Do not reprint material or hype Mandela’s personal matrimonial life. (December 9, 2013)
中宣部：有关南非前总统纳尔逊.曼德拉5日去世的消息，各媒体和网站要慎重取材报道。不突出曼德拉本人在人权、民主问题上的言论，特别注意有关图像，视频内容的选择发布，不可涉及曼德拉与达赖交往，以及和台湾有关的内容, 不要转载和炒作曼德拉个人的婚姻生活。
After the passing of former South African President Nelson Mandela, he was honored by Chinese dissidents and China’s official media alike. While state media drew parallels between the late revolutionary and Mao Zedong and praised South Africa’s establishment of relations with the PRC during Mandela’s presidency, dissidents commended Mandela’s activism and saw a more apt parallel between the Nobel laureate/former political prisoner and Liu Xiaobo.
A spokesperson representing the Dalai Lama said the Tibetan spiritual leader will not be attending Mandela’s December 15 memorial service in South Africa. The Dalai Lama was denied a South African entry visa in 2009 and again in 2011. China’s Vice President Li Yuanchao will be attending Mandela’s memorial.
State Council Information Office: All websites please delete text and images related to “Last Lenin Statue in Ukrainian Capital Toppled and Smashed”. (December 9, 2013)
国新办：请各网站删除《乌克兰首都最后一座列宁雕像被拉倒砸毁》的文字和有关照片。
After Ukrainian President Yanukovich met with Russian President Putin last week to lay plans for a “strategic partnership,” protestors in Kiev tore down a statue of Vladimir Lenin on Sunday.
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.
