Opinion | Beijing says party’s control of press ‘unshakable’ after Southern Weekly protest

Reading Time:2 minutes

Aman wearing a mask with words "Silent" holds a banner reading: "Let's chase our dreams together." Photo: AP

Published: 12:02pm, 8 Jan 2013Updated: 2:53pm, 8 Jan 2013

China’s top propaganda organ has sent out an urgent memo stressing that the Communist Party still had “absolute control” of the press in China – and this would not change, sources said on Tuesday.

In the memo, sent on Monday to party chiefs and media officials, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party’s Central Committee said it had reached three conclusions over the recent censorship row at Southern Weekly. These are:

“The party has absolute control of China’s media. This basic principle is unshakable,” it said.

“The Southern Weekly publishing incident has nothing to do with Guangdong province’s propaganda chief, comrade Tuo Zhen.”

“Hostile foreign forces had interfered in the Southern Weekly incident,” the memo added.

These three points have been confirmed by a senior editor at a Beijing newspaper and an editor at a Guangzhou newspaper.

The memo requires officials to continue to prevent editors and journalists from expressing online support for Southern Weekly. It also asked newspapers to print an editorial published by the state-run newspaper, the Global Times.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x