Self-censorship is Beijing's most effective gag on truth
Chang Ping says Beijing's authoritarian power is such that more and more international media wishing to work in China will begin to watch what they say and write, with truth the biggest casualty
A Western media company recently commissioned me to write an article but suggested that I do so under a different name. That's because articles with my name on are blocked on the internet by Chinese censors, and the company naturally wished to reach more readers on the mainland. Given these concerns, I am grateful the company still wanted me to write. Such is the power of the Communist Party in getting the international media to self-censor.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reporter Robert Hutton was barred from attending a press conference in Beijing with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Premier Li Keqiang . Although Cameron's office issued a statement of protest, and Cameron himself raised the matter with President Xi Jinping at a dinner, the Chinese stuck to the decision. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry even denied there was any problem, saying the arrangements were no different than before.
Bloomberg News won little sympathy from those in the media business, however. Many thought it deserved the put-down, after its editor-in-chief, Matthew Winkler, allegedly killed an investigative report on the financial relationships of Communist Party leaders for fear of reprisals from the Chinese authorities.