Update (12/12/11): Liu Qibao was originally noted here as the new head of the CCP Publicity Department. “CCP Publicity Department” has been changed to “Central Propaganda Department.”
The following examples of censorship instructions, issued to the media and/or Internet companies by various central (and sometimes local) government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to those 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.
Central Propaganda Department: With regards to reports on Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s foreign visit, strictly and without exception adhere to Xinhua wire copy. (November 21, 2012)
中宣部：有关温家宝总理出访的报道一律严格按新华社通稿刊播。
Central Propaganda Department: Do not republish, report, or comment on the essay “Border Province Governor Liu Qibao” or related issues. (November 21, 2012)
中宣部：对四川网登载的“封疆大吏刘奇葆”一文及相关问题，不转，不报，不评。
Sichuan Province Party Secretary Liu Qibao has just been appointed head of the Central Propaganda Department. “Governor of a border province” (封疆大吏) is a late imperial term. Its use by the provincial press implies a feudal title, although the intent was probably just to laud Liu.
Central Propaganda Department: With regards to reporting on high-level personnel changes at the national, provincial, and local levels, adopt without exception Xinhua copy. Do not changes titles or contents. (November 21, 2012)
中宣部：对国家有关部门和各省区市等高层人事变动的报道，一律采用新华社稿，不改动标题和内文。
Central Propaganda Department: If reporting on the vulgar video from Chongqing is to appear in print, use authoritative sources, do not make it too big, and do not use pictures. (November 22, 2012)
中宣部：重庆不雅视频报道如果见报，要用权威消息源，不要处理太大，不用图片。
Central Propaganda Department: With regards to the explosion at a hot pot restaurant in Shouyang, Shanxi Province; the explosion in a coal mine in Xiangshui, Guizhou Province; and the vulgar photos of a Chongqing official: if you report on these incidents, follow Xinhua wire copy and the information issued by the authorities in the respective locale. Do not report in depth, do not put the news on the front page or lure readers to these stories, and do not send reporters to the scene. (November 24, 2012)
中宣部：对山西寿阳火锅店爆炸事故、贵州响水煤矿爆炸事故、重庆官员不雅照事件，如报道按新华社通稿和当地权威部门发布的信息刋播，不作深度报道，不上头版导读，不派记者到事发地采访。
