News on China’s Internet is restricted by a constant flow of directives from central government agencies, and China’s legions of website editors bear the heavy responsibility of making sure those directives are implemented on their respective sites. The hashtag ＃一句话证明你是网编＃ is used on Sina Weibo to mark satirical one-liners verifying one’s status as a website editor. While entries to the social media trend often disappear from Sina’s archives, below are some contributions compiled by CDT Chinese from FreeWeibo in December 2013:
@忙盲茫芒: Designate these as keywords, take snapshots, point to central news websites //@王以超:// @小眼昏花: Move (the related article) to the backend. Make a summary of any use of the keywords “xxxx” on the website and send a report to the office at X:XXpm. Do not repost or link to xxx. //@行万里路: I don’t have permission to do this; contact [Sina Corp. Chief Editor] Chen Tong to have posts deleted.
设为关键词，摘快照，指向中央新闻网站//@王以超://@小眼昏花:压至后台。以关键字“xxxx”汇总本网发帖情况，下午x点，报xx办。不转载xxx，链接。//@行万里路:我没这个权限，删稿必须找陈彤批。
@网络编辑之家: One of your characters is incorrect [concealed laughter] //@徐亚楠: eNorth Net tried to keep a low profile and still took a bullet, you former Internet censor //@顾萌萌: I can’t delete the article, but I can help you cover it up [concealed laughter] OK, here’s a serious one: Quickly take this article to the guys at eNorth Net to have them post it first and then have repost it on our site [haha] //@行万里路: I don’t have permission to do this; contact Chen Tong to have posts deleted.
错一个字50[偷笑]//@徐亚楠: 北方网躺着中枪了，你个前网编//@顾萌萌: 我不能删稿但是可以帮你覆盖掉[偷笑]好吧来个正经的：这篇原创稿子赶紧找北方网什么的洗一下转回来[哈哈] //@行万里路:我没这个权限，删稿必须找陈彤批。
Chen Tong is the Chief Editor and Executive Vice President of Sina Corp.
@外国友人V: Re: @小眼昏花: All websites please repost “XXXX” article as soon as possible. Place the article in the bottom-middle part of your two home pages, and keep it there until tomorrow morning.
回复@小眼昏花:请各网尽快转载《*&@￥%*》一文，位置放在两首页中下部，挂到明天早晨。
@汉字狂草007: Delete related content, plan subsequent checks. //@幸知: Completely red through and through [contented laughter]//@波波波: Completely red through and through, please see Lewd People Net [a play on the words for “People’s Daily Online”]// @媒体人张庆龙: Change the heading; the leaders can’t take it anymore.// @李啸天003: Someone’s here.// @幸知: Hahaha //@李夏冰: 75… I’m coming… // @黄呜: If the changes still aren’t implemented, XXX is to report to my office tomorrow for a discussion! //@青松freedom: How can it be that NetEase isn’t implementing [instructions]?
删除相关内容，安排回查。 //@幸知:一红到底 [得意地笑] //@波波波:一红到底，参考淫民网… //@媒体人张庆龙: 换头，领导顶不住了。 //@李啸天003: 人在呢 //@幸知:哈哈哈 //@李夏冰: 75。。我来。。 //@黄呜: 再不执行，请XXX明天来我办谈话！ //@青松freedom:网易怎么又不执行@飘忽帝国gl
@Ooo小仙ooO: A mysterious person is here //@先李_后冰: Someone’s here // @钧杰侯: Someone’s here.
神奇的人在呢//@先李_后冰: 人在呢 //@钧杰侯: 人在呢
@六朝-过客: “Someone’s here” is so classic!
人在呢最经典!
“人在呢,” can either be a question (“is anyone here?”) or an answer (“someone’s here”). It is used on 24/7 instant message/chat to imply that a web editor is expected to be on constant duty.
@引花蝶：Move the article to the backend and close the thread; this news is not to be posted on either of the two homepages.
稿件压致后台关闭跟帖，新闻不上双首页
@阿神涂涂: …All websites do nothing but repost articles from Xinhua and People’s Daily. Articles from anywhere else, within 10 minutes, get deleted, have comments turned off, don’t have forums, weibo or comment topics opened up. Articles from Southern Metropolis, Caixin and Caijing are all deleted immediately… They act first and explain themselves later. Take care of urgent instructions first, then take care of important instructions, and finally take care of normal instructions…@Marco农民：I do not have permission to restrict or delete this article; you must contact the main editor.
…各网站只转载新华人民稿件，已载其他来源于10分钟内前删除，关闭评论，不开设论坛、微博、评论专题，转南都、财新、财经等媒体的立即删除…先执行，后申辩。先处理紧要指令，再处理重要指令，最后处理一般指令…@Marco农民：这稿子我没权限删，得找主编。
@vivakmt：If [instructions] are still not implemented, the News Director is to please report to the office of the Internet Monitoring Department tomorrow.
再不执行请新闻总监明天来网管办上班。
Translation by Little Bluegill.
For a description of the web editor’s place in China’s online censorship regime, see an post on the New York Review of Books’ blog by Perry Link. Also see CDT’s archive of translated “Directives from the Ministry of Truth“.
