Communist Party Central Propaganda Department Issues Three Secret Prohibitions in Rapid Succession, Eliciting Frustration

By chinafreepress.org (translation)
Aug 31, 2009 – 7:37:58 AM

Communist Party Central Propaganda Department Issues Three Secret Prohibitions in Rapid Succession, Eliciting Frustration

Boxun reports that in the past several days the Communist Party Central Propaganda Department has issued three secret prohibitions and disseminated them to all provincial news and propaganda bureaus and required them to notify by telephone all the media organs under their auspices, including all web sites.

The prohibitions are:

1. All media must use New China News Agency official news releases regarding the Dalai Lama’s present visit to Taiwan. Commentaries can criticize the Dalai Lama and his “clique,” but should not criticize Taiwan’s president Ma Yingjiu.

2. Regarding the armed conflict between the Burmese army and rebel groups, all media must use New China News Agency official news releases and none are permitted to send reporters to the Chinese border with Burma to conduct their own interviews.

3. Strictly prohibit any reporting on the ten-day jailing in Hubei province of web essayist “Liu Yimin” (the pen name of Xiong Zhongjun). Liu exposed the fact that the defendant in a trial for a drag-racing death in Hangzhou was a stand-in and not the real culprit of the accident. Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and 15 other media outlets have already sent reporters to Hubei attempting to report on Liu’s jailing. As a result of the Central Propaganda Department’s prohibition, all these reporters have returned home empty-handed.

Full Chinese report:
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2009/08/200908311908.shtml