China Herald: Media controls are losening

The Party: changing strategy
via WikipediaThe internet cannot be stopped by filtering and other censorship tools. That messages has been told over the past few months repeatedly, like here and here. But Reuters got now also a confirmation from the propaganda authorities that they have changed their policies from trying to block unfavorable news into managing the process.

"The central government has permitted the local authorities to publicize negative news themselves, with no need to report to upper governments any more," the academic said. "They have a principle of 'report the facts quickly, but be cautious on the causes behind the facts."'
Official news organizations often lag behind reports posted on the Internet by bloggers and investigative reporters, and usually play down any elements that might raise distrust of the Communist Party, which prizes stability.

The change has become noticeable, as official media have more often taken the lead in reporting about riots and other disturbances, trying to gain back the lead that had been taken by the internet.
The break is a profound departure from earlier efforts to control the news, rather than try to manage it.

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