Shanghai tightens grip on city’s media as it bans speculation on changes to government ranks

Shanghai authorities have further tightened their grip on the city’s media, with specific orders given about speculations on changes in government ranks.

The gag order, handed down in December, comes as provincial chiefs and ministers from around the country quietly jockey for promotions ahead of the next party congress in 2017, when several Politburo Standing Committee members will retire.

Senior media sources in Shanghai said they believed the crackdown was ordered by Han Zheng, the city’s Communist Party boss. Han is widely seen as a promising candidate for the vacated seats.

In an internal document distributed to major media outlets last month, the propaganda department stressed the need to avoid politically sensitive topics like personnel shuffles. But editors would also have to be careful with seemingly non-sensitive topics such as the anti-corruption drive and even economic policies.

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“We were asked to give priority to political safety rather than quality of the content,” said a senior editor at a major television group.

“The funny thing is that we are encouraged to sacrifice viewership and readership if there is any chance a programme may stoke public anger or annoy senior officials.”