Censorship

Bloomberg Accused of Censoring Itself in China

Staff at Bloomberg report that the news agency has censored itself in an effort to please Chinese government officials. Pointing to a specific example, employees claim that Bloomberg editors quashed a story revealing findings from a one-year investigation into relationships between one of China's wealthiest businessmen and powerful Communist Party officials.

Bloomberg's alleged efforts to restrict publication of their own stories comes after the financial news agency faced a backlash for running articles reporting on the financial affairs of senior Communist Party officials.

Chinese Activist Detained for Retweeting News of Unrest in Xinjiang Province

Chinese police detained activist Liu Linna for "retweeting" news of unrest in Xinjiang province on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter. She is currently being held in an administrative detention facility in Henan province. 

Liu's detention follows the detention of a 16 year-old boy who was arrested in Gansu province for retweeting information. The teenager was the first target of China's latest crackdown on online rumors. New laws make it an offense to engage in online "rumor mongering," defined as posting a message that is viewed at least 5,000 or retweeted over 500 times. 

China Formally Arrests Graft-Busting Journalist in Crackdown

Authorities have formally arrested Liu Hu, a journalist known for exposing government corruption. Liu’s arrest coincides with President Xi Jinping’s nationwide campaign to crackdown on official corruption while simultaneously jailing citizens who attempt to reveal official graft. According to China human rights expert and former LRF contributing writer Yu Jie, “From this incident one can conclude that the current 'anti-corruption campaign' is just party of strife inside the Party, and that eliminating corruption in China is impossible.”

Harry Wu Discusses Cisco's Role in Creating China's Surveillance State

Laogai Research Foundation Executive Director Harry Wu appeared on Radio Free Asia earlier this week to discuss Cisco's role in creating China's Golden Shield technology, the name given to the extensive network of surveillance and censorship used by the Chinese government to track dissidents and suppress dissent. Cisco worked with Communist Party public security officials to design this repressive system of control over a decade ago.

China broadcasts confession of Chinese-American blogger

Following his detention three weeks ago on charges of soliciting a prostitute, Chinese-American blogger and venture capitalist Charles Xue publicly renounced controversial blog posts he had written. Many have likened his confession, which was broadcast on national television Sunday, to Mao-era public self-criticisms political dissidents were forced to deliver during the Cultural Revolution. During the confession, Xue blamed his misdeeds on his need to gratify his ego. He also praised newly implemented censorship regulations as necessary to curb rumor mongering online.

Interpreting Xi's Chinese Dream

Optimists herald China’s new president, Xi Jinping, as a liberal reformer open to the prospect of relaxing censorship controls. Xi reinforced these expectations when he recognized the need for rule of law reforms and the toleration of “sharp criticism” of official policies. Unfortunately, political realities and recent events indicate that the fifth generation of Chinese leadership will remain hostile to public expression of dissent.

Researchers Measure the Speed of Censorship on Weibo (China's Twitter)

An extensive study conducted by researchers at Rice University sheds light on how the Chinese government is able to censor 100 million tweets per day. The study also reveals which sensitive words and topics are most likely to draw the attention of censors. Interestingly, the study found that the term “reeducation through labor,” a core concern of the Laogai Research Foundation, is one of the most sensitive phrases in Chinese cyberspace.

An Unverified Insider Account of Censorship at Southern Weekend

An essay making the rounds on the Internet in the wake of the Southern Weekly protests provides an insider’s perspective of the censorship process at Chinese newspapers. The essay describes the specific circumstances that led to the decision to rewrite the newspaper’s recent New Year’s editorial, as well as the broader push for increasing censorship controls under the administration of Guangdong propaganda chief Tuo Zhen.

Director Xie Fei says China censorship is 'killing' art

Director Xie Fei recently said that the Chinese government’s system for approving movies for public viewing stifles creativity and is in desperate need of reform. In addition to censoring politically sensitive films, authorities only permit public broadcast films that are appropriate for all ages and audiences. Xie says this system inhibits creativity. He further argues that China should adopt the Western system of assigning ratings to movies based on the relative prevalence of offensive material shown in the film.

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