In late 2020, CDT acquired and verified a collection of propaganda directives issued by central Party authorities to state media at the beginning of that year. These directives were issued on an almost daily basis in early 2020 through the early weeks of what would become the COVID-19 pandemic, and shed light on the propaganda machinery’s efforts to grapple with the outbreak. They were originally published between September and December, 2020 as the Minitrue Diary series, after the censorship and propaganda organs’ Orwellian online nickname 真理部 Zhēnlǐ bù, or "Ministry of Truth." Now, to mark the passage of five years since the outbreak, we are republishing each set of directives on the fifth anniversary of the day they were issued. The following directives were released on February 16, 2020.
1. Reports on plasma donation by cured coronavirus patients must progress in accordance with unified arrangements by the provincial health bureau, and informed consent must be given in advance to prevent a bad reaction or conflict.
2. Some localities are implementing control measures for people returning from other places in an oversimplified, dogmatic way. You must be sure to properly downplay such instances to prevent regional discrimination or resentment.
3. Exercise prudence and caution when reporting on topics such as donations and supplies for needy communities, or medical professionals who have sacrificed time with their own families. Avoid overly emotional or mawkish portrayals. (February 16, 2020) [Chinese]
These directives were part of a stream of censorship orders controlling coverage of various aspects of the coronavirus outbreak. On February 15, the Chinese government called on recovered coronavirus patients to donate their plasma for coronavirus research and treatments. At the time, Wuhan and other cities were still on lockdown, and travel between cities was tightly controlled. Several other recent directives also covered donations made during the COVID crisis.
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.
