Even China’s own state media sometimes resent state control
Censorship of a deadly explosion causes ructions among local journalists
There is nothing unusual about the sight of Chinese policemen oafishly blocking the lens of a television-news camera, or bundling reporters away from the scene of a big event. It happens to foreign journalists all the time. But many were stunned this month when reporters from China Central Television (CCTV), the country’s leading state-run broadcaster, got the same treatment. Even the anchor of a live telecast could not hide her on-air surprise when colleagues reporting from the site of a deadly explosion were shoved away.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Bang and blast! It’s too noisy to muffle”
From the March 23rd 2024 edition
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