From the BBC:
“China
Covid-19: How state media and censorship took on coronavirus”
At the start of
the year the Chinese government faced two major challenges; an unknown disease
which threatened to tear through its population and a wave of voices online
telling the world what was happening. By the end of 2020, a glance at Chinese
state-controlled media shows that both appear to be under control. The BBC's
Kerry Allen and Zhaoyin Feng take a look back at the country's online
government censors who worked harder than ever to supress negative information,
the citizens that managed to break through the Great Firewall, and how the
propaganda machine re-wrote the narrative.
At the
beginning of the year, it was clear something unprecedented was happening.
Thousands of messages of public outrage appeared on Chinese social media,
asking whether local governments were covering up another Sars-like virus. While
government censors routinely mute anti-government messaging on platforms like
Sina Weibo, they were of such a large volume that many remained visible. This
is because when facing major disasters, the Chinese government often scrambles
to react, and censors are slow to act. In January and February, multiple media
outlets took the opportunity to publish hard-hitting investigations, which were
widely shared on social media. Later, as Beijing came up with a propaganda
strategy, these reports were stifled. Blame was being pointed in all
directions. In mid-January, Chinese President Xi Jinping suddenly became an
absent figure in China's media. He was not seen in public, and pictures
vanished of him from the front pages of traditional government outlets like
People's Daily. There was some speculation that he was, quite physically,
avoiding blame. Within a week, however, things changed considerably. Top
officials began warning local governments they would "forever be nailed to
the pillar of historical shame" if they withheld information about cases
in their regions. Blame shifted in Chinese media and social media towards
Wuhan's leadership, with papers like Beijing News writing unusually critical
commentaries, asking: "Why didn't Wuhan let the public know sooner?" Mr
Xi then reappeared in early February as a pillar of confidence and strength
amid China's recovery.
Amid all the
confusion, it became clear that one man's voice had been silenced where it
shouldn't have been. Li Wenliang has become known internationally as the
"whistleblower" doctor who tried to warn colleagues about a Sars-like
virus. Dr Li died on 7 February after it came to light that he had been
investigated for "disturbing social order" by "making false
comments". More than a million users took to Sina Weibo to leave messages
of support for him on his profile after his death, which many termed China's
"Wailing Wall". However, posts have been periodically wiped, to
people's frustration. Netizens have, however, found creative ways to keep his
memory alive using emojis, Morse code, and ancient Chinese script. A trend
appeared on both Facebook and the popular WeChat messaging app of users writing
words on their masks in response to Dr Li's death. Many wrote "I
cannot" and "I do not understand" - a reference to how Dr Li was
interrogated by police, who had asked him: "Can you do it?" and
"Do you understand?" when warning him to stop "making false
comments".
Journalists
'disappeared', yet gained visibility outside of China While the authorities
have since officially recognised Dr Li Wenliang as a "martyr",
several notable activists may be written out of the country's Covid-19 history.
Zhang Zhan was detained for reporting in Wuhan During the Wuhan
outbreak, a number of citizen journalists made a notable impact
internationally, by circumventing the "great firewall of China" to
get word out of the city. These include Chen Qiushi, Fang Bin and Zhang
Zhan. They racked up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube for videos they
say gave the true picture of what was happening in Wuhan. However, this
came at a cost. The Committee to Protect Journalists notes that in Wuhan, the
authorities "arrested several journalists for coverage that threatened the
official narrative of Beijing's response". CPJ says three are still in
prison. And given YouTube is blocked in China, few in the country know of their
impact. Questions have also been raised about whether one journalist who
did reappear became part of an overseas propaganda campaign. Li Zehua
vanished in February after posting a YouTube video saying he was being chased
in his car by police. He wasn't heard from for two months, but then
posted a video saying that he had been cooperating with the authorities and had
been in quarantine. He has not posted since, and many have suggested
that he might have been forced into making the video. Since March, China
has wanted to mark its success in overcoming the coronavirus, yet it has been
especially evident that the censors have tried to stamp out evidence of
discontent, particularly among young people. China has stressed that it
wants to avoid another Wuhan-style lockdown. Yet as the South China Morning
Post notes, many universities have continued to implement "blanket campus
lockdowns".
In August, many
students returned to a physical classroom for the first time. But protests
erupted at campuses across the country to universities rationing internet and
showering times, due to the sudden overcapacity. There were also complaints
that university canteens exploited the reliance on on-site food and hiked food
costs. Many such conversations were subsequently censored. Anger and
dissatisfaction among China's young caused many this year to go beyond traditional
social media platforms onto lesser known ones, to find a shared voice. News
website Sixth Tone notes a surge of "NetEmo" on music streaming
platform, Netease Cloud Music, with "pervasive" comments from young
Chinese about "failed exams, doomed relationships and shattered
dreams". It says the platform tried to "stem the trend", by
announcing a crackdown on what it said were "fabricated" user
comments.
History has
been rewritten with new books, TV shows China has also tried to promote an
overly optimistic picture. Much as there have been concerns that The Crown
might tell an inauthentic version of the UK's royal history, many Chinese are
concerned that post-Covid era books and TV programmes have not accurately shown
what happened in Wuhan. Chinese author Fang Fang received widespread
praise earlier in the year for documenting her life in Wuhan, and providing a
rare glimpse into Wuhan residents' fears and hopes. However, her online
diary has since made her the target of fervent Chinese nationalists, who accuse
her of trying to smear China and promote a "doomsday narrative". State
media have sought to promote other books, including those of expats, to
reinforce the government's optimistic message about the authorities' handling
of the virus. In some instances, there has been backlash at state media
dictating a certain narrative on the handling of the Wuhan outbreak. This
was evident in September when Heroes in Harm's Way, the first drama "based
on real life stories" of front-line workers, received backlash for
downplaying the role that women had played in the outbreak. It is
evident that China wants to end 2020 on a high note. Beyond telling its
own citizens that it has largely won the war over its Covid-19, China also
wants to tell the world. But China now seeks to distance itself from its early
connections to the coronavirus, and promote the idea that China's Covid-19
success means its political model is more successful than the West's.
^ China and its
Communist Dictatorship have hid so much about Covid-19 from both its own
citizens and the rest of the world. I’m sure the infection, hospitalization and
death rate there is much higher then the “official” numbers. China allowed
Covid to not only spread across China, but also around the world. They are the
reason millions upon millions of people are suffering and yet they now try to
act as the Covid “Savior” by brining equipment, supplies, etc. to other
countries. Hopefully, the world does not forget the role China has played in
the Covid-19 Pandemic. ^
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