China Digital Times, with its indispensable series on leaked directives from the “Ministry of Truth,” published this amazing leaked memo from China’s propaganda department yesterday:
Central Propaganda Department: Urgent Notice Concerning the Southern Weekly New Year’s Message Publication Incident: Responsible Party committees and media at all levels must be clear on three points related to this matter: (1) Party control of the media is an unwavering basic principle; (2) This mishap at Southern Weekly has nothing to do with Guangdong Propaganda Department Head Tuo Zhen; (3) External hostile forces are involved in the development of the situation. Every responsible work unit must demand that its department’s editors, reporters, and staff discontinue voicing their support for Southern Weekly online. Starting tomorrow, media and websites in all locales must prominently republish the Global Times editorial “Southern Weekly’s ‘Message to Readers’ Is Food for Thought Indeed.”
Just so we’re clear:
1. Party control of media is an unwavering basic principle;
2. Tuo Zhen had nothing to do with the Southern Weekly “mishap”;
3. Publish Global Times editorial;
4. And for pete’s sake, acrostics? Fucking acrostics, people? What are we, kindergarteners?!
UPDATE, 1/9, 4:59 pm: I guess no one specified where the editorial has to be run — like, say, next to a big pest extermination ad.
Ministry of Truth: Urgent Notice on Southern Weekly (China Digital Times)
Jesus mary and joseph… that propaganda is hilariously preposterous, it’s just as bad as something from 1984… it even invokes a boogie man -in 1984 it was “Goldstein”, here it’s Chen… everything about this bullshit, it refutes events without explaining any contradiction:
“the “modified version” was actually not written by the Guangdong Party Committee Propaganda Department”
oh thank god, how did you find out about this,
“Global Times has learned from its own independent channels”
ah, yes that clarifies everything
so, who wrote this “modified version” after all?
*new paragraph*
I like the tactic, “Refute, don’t explain, move on”
My first exposure to pure propaganda. Wo shi Beijinger, now!
Well, you definitely are getting it, but you’re still a n00b:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying was asked about the episode on January 4 by a Japanese reporter. She said she was not familiar with the situation, but said there was no news censorship in the country. The government would protect press freedom according to the law, Hua said.
http://english.caixin.com/2013-01-04/100479627.html
Top that! No censorship in the country, where have you ever heard such a tale?
“External hostile forces are involved in the development of the situation.” No names were mentioned but they have big noses which they don’t keep out of things that aren’t their business. Damn you, external hostile forces!
Yup. Always external enemies or ‘splittists’. There is a third group too, forgot their name, maybe I forgot because none of them exist.
But its never the party’s fault, just remember that. If you blame the party for anything you are the enemy.