Build a wall
The Year of the Rabbit starts badly
THE Chinese Communist Party's Publicity Department (or Propaganda Department, a closer rendering of the Chinese) is adept at controlling news from abroad that might inflame sentiment at home. As communism collapsed in Eastern Europe 20 years ago, it kept all but the barest news out of the domestic media, jammed foreign broadcasts and ordered vigilance over fax machines.
In response to the unrest in Egypt, the department has apparently instructed the Chinese media to use only dispatches sent by the official news agency, Xinhua, and either to bury news of events there or play up aspects that show the costs of turmoil. Reporting the travails of stranded Chinese tourists, or the government's noble attempts to rescue them, is fine, but sympathy with the protesters is taboo. The department's instructions to the media are, as usual, a secret, but their effect is clear.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline "Build a wall"
From the February 5th 2011 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Briefing
America’s fiscal outlook is disastrous, but forgotten
On the campaign trail, both main candidates largely ignore the problem
America’s $61bn aid package buys Ukraine time
It must use it wisely
America is uniquely ill-suited to handle a falling population
Which is a worry, because much of it is already shrinking