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Showing posts from 2013

2013 Year In Review: Top 10 Examples of Censorship of Protests

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Trying (Unsuccessfully) to Pay Homage to Protestors On December 30, 2012, Tencent published an article entitle "New Years' Resolution: Pay Tribute to Ten Great Dissenters" (年终策划:致敬十大反对者). These screenshots, taken on January 3, 2013, show that both Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo were censoring searches for the article's title. Context: http://blog.feichangdao.com/2013/01/tencents-tribute-to-dissent-gets.html Mass Suicide Attempts in Beijing On August 14, the state-sponsored Beijing Youth web site reported that at least ten people attempted to commit suicide together by drinking pesticide near Beijing West Railway Station. As these screenshots show, the article was deleted the same day. Context: http://blog.feichangdao.com/2013/08/chinas-weibos-news-sites-censor-report.html On December 12, the state sponsored 21cn.com web site published an article on its web site entitled "Not Satisfied With Compensation for Demolished Homes, 12 Wuhan Petitio

2013 Year In Review: Top 10 Examples of Censorship of Corruption and Nepotism

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Translation Chief's "Improper Lifestyle" On January 17, China's official news agency Xinhua reported that Yi Junqing (衣俊卿), director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, had been removed from his post for "living an improper lifestyle." The following day, the Zhejiang Daily published an editorial entitled "Mouth Full of Marxism, Belly Full of Deceit" (满嘴马列,满腹盗娼). Below, the left-hand screenshot shows the article as it appeared on January 18. The right-hand screenshot shows that same page as it appeared on January 20.  Context: http://blog.feichangdao.com/2013/01/zhejiang-daily-deletes-editorial-on.html Rumors of NPC Secretary General Being Investigated On January 26, 2013, Hong Kong's Ming Pao published an article entitled "Capital Whispers: Li Jianguo Investigated as Part of 'Beat the Tigers' Anti-Corruption Drive" (京城密語﹕反腐「打老虎」 李建國傳受查). Li Jianguo

2013 Year In Review: Top 10 Examples of Free Speech With Mainland Chinese Characteristics

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"The China Dream" Screenshots showing Sina Weibo began censoring "The Chinese Dream" (中国梦) Context: http://blog.feichangdao.com/2013/01/websites-delete-articles-block.html http://blog.feichangdao.com/2013/01/baidu-and-other-search-engines-join.html http://blog.feichangdao.com/2013/01/global-times-netease-and-sina-weibo.html http://blog.feichangdao.com/2013/01/sina-weibo-features-southern-people.html "Today" Screenshot showing Sina Weibo censoring searches for "Today" (今天) Context: http://blog.feichangdao.com/2013/06/sina-weibos-censorship-of-24th.html "I’m Cold and I’m Hungry" Screenshots showing Tencent Weibo began censoring "I'm cold and I'm hungry" (我冷我饿) Context: http://blog.feichangdao.com/2013/04/2013-sichuan-earthquake-images-of.html "Silence Those Who Need Silencing" Screenshots showing Sina Weibo Weibo censoring searches for  "Silence Those Who Need Silencing&

2013 Year in Review: Top Examples of State Media Editorials on Free Speech - With Interpretive Memes

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In this post the text in italics is from the cited source. The images are courtesy of this blog. Source: Feichangdao.com Source : Global Times, "Southern Weekend's 'Letter to Readers' Truly Makes One Ponder" (南方周末“致读者”实在令人深思), January 7, 2013: Whether these people like it or not, this is common sense: given the current state of China's society and government, the kind of "free media" that these people yearn for in their hearts simply cannot exist. 不管这些人愿不愿意,有一个常识是:在中国今天的社会政治现实下,不可能存在这些人心中向往的那种“自由媒体”。 Subsequently deleted from: http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2013-01/3457134.html http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2013-01/3454091.html Source: Feichangdao.com Source : Global Times, “ US Tech Website Back Online ,” January 24, 2013: GitHub was not the only programming website that had been kept away from Chinese mainland users. Google Code, Google App Engine, SourceForge and several other renowned technical websites ha

Sina Weibo Censors Searches About Mass Suicide Attempt in Beijing

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On December 12, 2013, the state sponsored 21cn.com published an article on its web site entitled "Not Satisfied With Compensation for Demolished Homes, 12 Wuhan Petitioners Drink Pesticide in Beijing" ( 不满拆迁补偿 12名武汉访民北京集体喝农药 ). Some excerpts: Shortly after 4 o'clock in the afternoon on December 10, 12 petitioners from Wuhan (3 men and 9 women) drank pesticide in the area near Qianmen in an effort to protest four years of ineffective petitioning. 12月10日下午4点过后,12名武汉访民(3男9女)在北京前门附近喝农药集体喝农药,以此抗议4年来的上访无效。 These screenshots show that on December 12 Sina Weibo began censoring searches for "12 Wuhan Petitioners Drink Pesticide in Beijing in Mass Suicide Attempt" (12名武汉访民在北京集体喝农药自杀).

State Media Deletes Editorials Espousing the Benefits of Air Pollution

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These screenshots were taken on December 9, 2013, and show that, during the preceding two days, levels of PM 2.5 pollutants in both Shanghai and Beijing had exceeded 400. Anything above 300 is considered “Hazardous.” Shanghai Beijing On December 6, 2013, the state sponsored China Daily published an article entitled “ Shanghai Lowers Air Quality benchmark to Reduce Alerts .” Some excerpts: The Shanghai environmental authority announced on Thursday that it has adjusted its air pollution standards to reduce the number of alerts, adding that they will still be frequent in winter. Experts say the move was a reluctant tacit acknowledgment of the city's poor air quality. The municipality's Environmental Protection Bureau will now lift air pollution alerts when the concentration of PM2.5 — particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that can penetrate deep into human lungs — falls below 115 micrograms per cubic meter. Previously