The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
March 7:
1. Concerning the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, all media must not report, re-publish or comment on contents related to Chinese nominees.
2．Handle with caution reports on social instability and petitions; do not re-publish related information, and do not report on illegal petition cases.
3. Do not hype topics related to dual citizenship; do not hype the nationality of NPC representatives; do not report, do not re-publish, do not comment on any motions from representatives on dual citizenship
4．Guard against extreme leftist websites on “revisions to the constitution setting things right” and other extreme speech. Check and delete harmful information right away.
5. Do not report, do not re-publish and do not comment on critical reports by foreign media on province-led press conferences.
6. Continue to expand the promotion of the “Amazing China” documentary. [Chinese]
The above directives were issued by Henan’s provincial propaganda department on March 7, midway through the “Two Sessions” annual meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing. This is the third of four lists of directives obtained and translated by CDT that will be published this week. A separate directive on Tuesday banned media personnel from online discussion of a reporter’s exasperated eyeroll at a Two Sessions press conference.
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.
