Ten Global Censorship Tactics of the Chinese Communist Regime
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has mired itself in a war against information, affecting not only the people of China, but people all across the world. In particular, the CCP spreads misinformation and attempts to obscure the facts about its persecution of Falun Gong.
Reporters Without Borders currently ranks freedom of the press in China at the 175th worst position among 183 countries worldwide. Presently, the CCP employs millions of internet censors and so-called journalists to disseminate propaganda, controlling what a majority of people think they know about their own country. Not satisfied with its stranglehold over information accessible to the Chinese public alone, the CCP also makes great efforts to control what you see and believe about events happening inside China.
Let’s quickly examine some of the CCP’s information control tactics:
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Physical Violence Against Foreign Journalists
Most of the CCP’s violence against journalists has been directed at Chinese reporters. Foreign correspondents have also been kidnapped, beaten and had their equipment stolen while trying to cover topics sensitive to the CCP. Some examples are documented in this article by The Committee to Protect Journalists.
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Restrictive Reporting Locations
If the CCP does not want a story covered it will simply mark an area off limits to journalists. These locations range from large areas, like the whole Tibetan Autonomous Region, to just a few city blocks where journalists are restricted from entering.
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Denial and Delay of Journalists’ Visas
If the CCP feels that a foreign journalist would fail to report in a Party-favorable manner, the journalist’s visa application process may be delayed. The CCP has also been known to reject visas or remove journalists from the country. These tactics often lead journalists to self-censor, because they know that if they speak out of line, they might lose access to China altogether.
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Collective Punishment of News Outlets
Sometimes, the CCP will target entire media companies by denying visas to all of their staff, or by blocking Chinese citizens from visiting their websites. This has happened to The New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg and other news agencies. This type of punishment creates further pressure to self-censor, because losing access to the Chinese market can have a significant financial impact.
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Cyberattacks
The CCP liberally launches cyberattacks against governments, companies, and individuals. The CCP also targets news outlets to learn what they are planning to publish.
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Pressure to Suppress Coverage
If the CCP learns that an unfavorable article is about to be published, it will contact a news outlet directly, pressuring to get the story pulled.
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Spreading Propaganda
According to Chen Yonglin, a former senior diplomat for the CCP in Australia, one of his primary missions was to spread propaganda throughout his host country, with a special focus on negative propaganda about Falun Gong. Many government representatives have been inundated with similar misinformation.
Propaganda also ends up in many of the articles that mention Falun Gong. If a foreign news outlet publishes a story about Falun Gong, they often include CCP propaganda for the sake of having “balanced coverage,” even though the false information has merely been concocted with the intent to damage Falun Gong’s reputation.
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Chinese News Outlets
While the CCP routinely blocks Western publications from circulation within China, many democratic countries’ freedom-of-press guarantees mean that CCP-run/CCP-influenced newspapers, radio stations, and television stations operate freely outside of China. The CCP’s state-owned media readily slanders Falun Gong, and such publications are likely available in your local cable package and on the shelves at your local newsstand.
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Banning Foreign Movies
Hollywood studios self-censor movies to make sure the CCP allows showings in China. According to this article in The International Business Times:
As studios grow more dependent on ticket sales from the Chinese box office, filmmakers have become more willing to sanitize the content of their movies in order to appeal to the stringent sensibilities of Chinese censors. The People’s Republic of China, far from embracing the cultural mores of Hollywood, is actually changing the political complexion of American movies.
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Harassing Cultural Shows
New-York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has been targeted since its inception due to its scenes depicting the persecution of Falun Gong. According to Shen Yun’s website, the CCP has done everything from trying to blanket cities with competing shows, to slashing the tires of Shen Yun’s tour buses. Last month, Shen Yun was canceled in Korea due to pressure from the Chinese Consulate, which threatened economic retaliation against the owners of the venue, should the show be performed there.