What a Free Press Isn't

So, I'm reading an article in the China Digital Times, "Liberal Media Group Forced Onto "Correct Road", about news outlets in China being forced into printing stories about the progress being made in the Chinese ecomony, when I noticed a government agency called the Central Propaganda Department had issued instructions on the coming stories which their "free press" could write about successes in the economy - which, if you haven't heard, has tanked of late.  Rather than allow the press to report about the real economy, the state has decided to brighten things up a little.

We should be grateful for a free press which we take for granted at times, and rightly criticize others. These Chinese try to control their press and we can be skeptical about their progress when reporting on it is a requirement.

The instructions were translated by the Times as follows:

Office of the Xinhua News Agency Editor-in-Chief

Notice

To the departments of Domestic News (Central Government Procurement Center), International News, Domestic News for Overseas Service, Photography, Reference News, and Audio-Video; the CNC [China Xinhua News Network Corporation], Xinhua Online, the New Media Center; all media reporting platforms; and the Editorial Department:

In keeping with the spirit of notifications from superior authorities and Agency leadership requirements, the focus for the month of September will be strengthening economic propaganda and guiding public opinion (the related notification is in the attachment that follows). This includes taking the next step in promoting the discourse on China’s bright economic future and the superiority of China’s system, as well as stabilizing expectations and inspiring confidence. We request that your departments take immediate action to plan related reporting; identify individuals to take responsibility; and confirm reporting topics, individuals responsible for those topics, and publication dates.

Please plan related reporting. After the responsible parties within the relevant department have signed off on the plan, send it to the Creative Planning Center at the editor-in-chief’s office through 0A prior to 5 p.m. on September 9, and fax the leadership signature page to 63071200.

The topic formatting should be as follows:

1. Topic (Responsible Party: Department Name, Individual’s Name; Publication Date: Month, Day)

Contact: Wang Xiaoshun [Office:] 51366 [Cell:] 13661390548

Office of the Editor-in-Chief

September 7, 2015 [Chinese]