The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.
Telephone transcript from March 8:
- Do not hype the population situation or general relaxation to a "Three Child Policy." Do not report on the draft proposal for a thorough relaxation of family planning toward a universal "Three Child Policy."
- The United States will soon consider adoption of negative proposals involving China. Without exception, do not report, republish, or comment.
- Do not report, republish, or comment on the U.S. Federal Reserve’s cease-and-desist order against the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s New York branch.
- Continue to strictly control use of the Two Sessions’ name in commercial activities and speculation. In particular, strictly monitor advertising of Two Sessions commemorative coins.
- Handle with caution reporting on domestic stock listings of Tencent and other internet companies. Don’t report or hype discussion of A-share "chive-cutting," and promptly delete related information.
- Manage and control information related to the removal of Southern Weekly article drafts, and don’t report or republish related content.
- Don’t report, republish, or comment on the death of petitioners in Beijing.
- No media or new media should report, republish, or comment on the case of Xu Youchen in Jiaozuo, Henan. Do not hype any information related to this case, situation, or person. (March 8) [Chinese]
The above directives were issued by Henan’s provincial propaganda department on March 8, midway through the “Two Sessions” annual meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing. This is the fourth of four lists of directives obtained and translated by CDT that have been published this week. A separate directive on Tuesday banned media personnel from online discussion of a reporter’s exasperated eyeroll at a Two Sessions press conference.
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. Some instructions are issued by local authorities or to specific sectors, and may not apply universally across China. 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. See CDT’s collection of Directives from the Ministry of Truth since 2011.
