China’s state-controlled media are put on an even shorter leash
All the news sources that may be republished sound similar
THE COMMUNIST PARTY’S leadership, with “Comrade Xi Jinping at the core”, attaches “great importance” to managing internet content. So declared the government on October 20th when unveiling new instructions about what news could be republished online. This was an understatement. Under the party’s rule, China’s press has never enjoyed more than a small modicum of freedom. Mr Xi has relentlessly tightened controls. Reporters and editors deemed politically wayward have been disciplined, fired or jailed.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “All the news that’s fit to reprint”
From the October 30th 2021 edition
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