The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
State Council Information Office: All websites must find and delete reports related to the Ta Kung [Pao] Net story “Liaoning Party Secretary: Aircraft Carrier Being Built in Dalian, Will Be Complete in Six Years.” Please do this immediately. (January 18, 2014)
国信办：全网查删大公网“辽宁省委书记：国产航母正在大连建造将耗时6年”一文有关的报道，请马上执行。
According to Ta Kung Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper funded by the Chinese government, Liaoning Party Secretary Wang Min stated that the mainland’s second domestically-produced aircraft carrier is being built in the port city of Dalian, along with two 052D destroyers. “I am sure Wang Min did say that in the panel meeting,” a naval colonel told the South China Morning Post, “but it seems that it is not proper for him to make the news public.” The text of the Ta Kung Pao report as republished by Xinhua [zh] is available from CDT Chinese.
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.
