The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.
According to orders from commanding departments, start a public opinion contingency plan [for the Hunan shooting incident]. Implement the following news controls:
- Do not republish, propagate, or comment.
- Police handling this case are strictly prohibited from divulging video of the scene. Anyone verified to have done so will be treated severely.
- For propaganda, news, and public opinion authorities, no individual may accept any external interviews.
(December 22, 2017) [Source]
This directive was published by the Twitter account @iyouport_news.
ThePaper.cn today reported that the Public Security Bureau of Xinhua County, Hunan announced a 50,000 yuan reward for clues leading to the arrest of Chen Jianxiang, who is “suspected of committing a serious crime” (重大作案嫌疑). According to the report, ThePaper.cn verified with Xinhua County government sources that Chen Jianxing, himself a member of the local PSB police, fled after being found on the scene of a deadly shooting. The article continues to note that a major investigation into the crime has been launched.
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. Some instructions are issued by local authorities or to specific sectors, and may not apply universally across China. 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. See CDT’s collection of Directives from the Ministry of Truth since 2011.
