The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
Central Propaganda Department: Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake. Please ensure that you strictly comply with the related reporting requests distributed earlier. Maintain positive coverage. Do not produce negative or sensational material. Do not produce reflections on so-called aftereffects. Increase checking of commentary. The leadership of media organizations are asked to personally examine all work. (May 11, 2013)
中宣部：明天是汶川地震五周年，请各媒体严格按此前下发的有关报道要求把好关，要坚持正面报道，不作负面炒作，不作对所谓后遗症的反思，加强对评论的把关，请各媒体主要领导亲自把关工作。
The “aftereffects” of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, which claimed about 70,000 lives, likely refers to concerns that dams and reservoirs have caused seismic activity. Zhang Hongtao, chief engineer of the Ministry of Land and Resources, called the 2010 mudslide in Gansu Province an “aftereffect” of geological changes wrought by the Wenchuan earthquake [zh]. The Zipingpu Reservoir may have contributed to the 2008 quake, as well as the 6.6 magnitude quake that hit Sichuan last month.
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.
