The Chinese media were strongly criticised by the public for giving the US Sandy Hook school shooting extensive coverage, while "playing down" an attack on a mainland primary school which left 23 students injured.
China Central Television's lead in Saturday's news round-up was the Newtown school shooting in the US state of Connecticut, where 20 children and six adults were killed by a lone gunman, who then killed himself.
This marked the first time in 26 years that the state mouthpiece began with foreign news since the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986.
Meanwhile, the Guangzhou-based tabloid Southern Metropolis Daily devoted just one-quarter of an inside page on Saturday to news of the 23 students attacked by knife-wielding man in Guangshan county, Henan . In contrast, there was a headline story and a four-page detailed report on the Newtown shooting on Sunday.
Former China Youth Daily editor Li Datong suggested the restrained coverage of the Henan attack was a result of a state ban. Meanwhile, he said the disproportionate coverage of the US story was based on Xi Jinping's order to play up stories with news values.
"Obviously, state media have received bans from the propaganda authorities, requiring them not to focus on the Henan school attack," Li said.