Sichuan Quake Shakes Up Chinese Censorship Policy [Sichuan Earthquake] |
| Published: May 18, 2008, 9:30 pm |
| Tags: censorship, china, internet, sichuan earthquake, sichuan province |
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The tragedy of the recent earthquake in central China, which has claimed over 20,000 lives at last count, has just the smallest bit of silver lining. The Chinese government has been uncharacteristically loose with information, and millions of Chinese netizens are, for the first time, almost completely uncensored. China now boasts the world's largest mobile phone and Internet user base - about 574 million have cellphones and 221 million are regularly logged online. Chinese witnesses to the Sichuan quake's wreckage are flooding websites with videos, first-hand accounts and—most impressively—criticism of government-sponsored rescue attempts. Even the state-controlled media has gained the freedom to show distressing images without having to go through the usual censorship bodies. Though there is little hope that the Chinese government will stay as hands-off as it has been the last week, its behavior is a far cry from the last time China encountered such a devastating [ Full article ] |
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