#FakeNews #CCPLies #CCPControl
No ‘Negative’ News: How China Censored the Coronavirus
In 2020, the whole world has been extensively affected by COVID-19, which was originally called "Wuhan Pneumonia" at the early stage of the outbreak because of its alleged origin. The pandemic has led to the lockdown of many countries, the suspension of economic activities and the separation of families.
In an investigative report published by The New York Times on Dec 19, 2020, it was revealed that the Chinese Communist Party government stage-managed what appeared online in the early days of the outbreak and downplayed the severity of the coronavirus.
The New York Times wrote,
“At a time when digital media is deepening social divides in Western democracies, China is manipulating online discourse to enforce the Communist Party’s consensus.
To stage-manage what appeared on the Chinese internet early this year, the authorities issued strict commands on the content and tone of news coverage, directed paid trolls to inundate social media with party-line blather and deployed security forces to muzzle unsanctioned voices."
For example, regarding the death of the whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang, who had been threatened and prosecuted by the Chinese authorities, on Feb 7, 2020, China "ordered news websites not to issue push notifications alerting readers to his death. They [Chinese authorities] told social platforms to gradually remove his name from trending topics pages. And they activated legions of fake online commenters to flood social sites with distracting chatter, stressing the need for discretion".
The New York Times also found that "Chinese officials tried to steer the narrative not only to prevent panic and debunk damaging falsehoods domestically. They also wanted to make the virus look less severe — and the authorities more capable — as the rest of the world was watching."
According to Xiao Qiang, a research scientist at the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, and the founder of China Digital Times,
“China has a politically weaponized system of censorship; it is refined, organized, coordinated and supported by the state’s resources. It’s not just for deleting something. They also have a powerful apparatus to construct a narrative and aim it at any target with huge scale.”
“This is a huge thing,” he added. “No other country has that.”
Source: New York Times #Dec19
Read the original article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/technology/china-coronavirus-censorship.html
#CyberSpace #Xi #WaterArmy #WuhanPneumomia #Manipulation #COVID19 #Christmas2020
No ‘Negative’ News: How China Censored the Coronavirus
In 2020, the whole world has been extensively affected by COVID-19, which was originally called "Wuhan Pneumonia" at the early stage of the outbreak because of its alleged origin. The pandemic has led to the lockdown of many countries, the suspension of economic activities and the separation of families.
In an investigative report published by The New York Times on Dec 19, 2020, it was revealed that the Chinese Communist Party government stage-managed what appeared online in the early days of the outbreak and downplayed the severity of the coronavirus.
The New York Times wrote,
“At a time when digital media is deepening social divides in Western democracies, China is manipulating online discourse to enforce the Communist Party’s consensus.
To stage-manage what appeared on the Chinese internet early this year, the authorities issued strict commands on the content and tone of news coverage, directed paid trolls to inundate social media with party-line blather and deployed security forces to muzzle unsanctioned voices."
For example, regarding the death of the whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang, who had been threatened and prosecuted by the Chinese authorities, on Feb 7, 2020, China "ordered news websites not to issue push notifications alerting readers to his death. They [Chinese authorities] told social platforms to gradually remove his name from trending topics pages. And they activated legions of fake online commenters to flood social sites with distracting chatter, stressing the need for discretion".
The New York Times also found that "Chinese officials tried to steer the narrative not only to prevent panic and debunk damaging falsehoods domestically. They also wanted to make the virus look less severe — and the authorities more capable — as the rest of the world was watching."
According to Xiao Qiang, a research scientist at the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, and the founder of China Digital Times,
“China has a politically weaponized system of censorship; it is refined, organized, coordinated and supported by the state’s resources. It’s not just for deleting something. They also have a powerful apparatus to construct a narrative and aim it at any target with huge scale.”
“This is a huge thing,” he added. “No other country has that.”
Source: New York Times #Dec19
Read the original article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/technology/china-coronavirus-censorship.html
#CyberSpace #Xi #WaterArmy #WuhanPneumomia #Manipulation #COVID19 #Christmas2020
Nytimes
No ‘Negative’ News: How China Censored the Coronavirus (Published 2020)
Thousands of internal directives and reports reveal how Chinese officials stage-managed what appeared online in the early days of the outbreak.