The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
Central Propaganda Department: It is forbidden to carry negative news, analysis, or commentary on the April 20 earthquake in Sichuan. All media, including Web media, must strictly guard against this. (April 26, 2013)
中宣部：禁止对于四川420地震的负面报道、回顾和评论，各媒体包括网络媒体须严格把关。
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.
