Chinese military media told to steer clear of US election stories
- Armed forces outlets avoid coverage that could lead to accusations of taking sides
- Social and traditional media arms treading carefully so as ‘not to give US ammunition’
A military source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said that since late September many orders had come from the “top” telling military propagandists to “strictly avoid US election topics”.
“It is a strict order for everyone to follow. Not only serving members of the armed forces, but also retired personnel, military experts and think tanks were told to strictly observe the new directive,” the source said.
“We must resolutely avoid making inappropriate remarks that might cause more disturbance to [China-US relations].
“We represent the Chinese military. Of course we need to be very prudent. We are not a tabloid newspaper.”
A second military source confirmed that the directive had been distributed to propaganda units in recent weeks. The source, who also asked not to be identified, said “China-bashing is expected to become a very prominent part” of the US elections.