China’s Media Censorship in Action

Via Jeremy Golkorn of the China media blog Danwei, Bruce Humes has a clear-cut example of how censorship manifests itself in published articles in China. I recently wrote about a New York Times travel section piece by Joshua Kurlantzick. It turns out that Kurlantzick’s article is being republished in China in the daily newspaper Cankao Xiaoxi, but with heavy censorship of lines that describe the political and economic plight of Tibetans, as well as parts that are critical of China.

Predictably, politically incorrect references to the Dalai Lama, the Cultural Revolution, Tibet’s unique Sky Burial (the corpse left at high altitudes to be devoured by vultures) have been deleted, and there are no mentions of Tibet-related web sites blocked by China.

I took Kurlantzick to task for failing to pass any moral judgment about the phenomena of Tibet’s cultural and economic destruction that he described in his article. It’s ironic that the reproduction of his work in China receives such a heavy hand from the censors pen. I hope it serves as a reminder for Kurlantzick, the Times, and all other journalists who refrain from condemning China’s occupation of Tibet that even apologists are subject to censorship.

In sum, Cankao Xiaoxi’s extract regales the benefits of the opening of Tibet to visitors — foreign and domestic — with nary a mention of the contradictions and concerns that pepper Kurlantzick’s original.

Most interestingly, a close look at the two texts shows that most of the Chinese copy is lifted paragraph-by-paragraph from the original. But in most cases, 1-2 sentences from each paragraph have been deleted. Here are those deleted sentences which apparently contain content that Cankao Xiaoxi censors deem unfit for the Chinese reader:

* “…and workers had to build special features into the [Beijing-Lhasa train] cars, like oxygen tanks for passengers gasping at such high altitudes.�

* “…as we approach 16,000 feet, some Chinese train riders ruin their clothing by lying on the floor, moaning as their heads ache from the thin air.�

* “Next year, a company called RailPartners plans to introduce $1,000-per-night cars that will include private suites, butler service and haute cuisine.�

* [10 million visitors may come] “…potentially threatening conservation efforts. Unesco has warned that China is allowing the destruction of Lhasa’s traditional buildings.â€?

Let’s close with a look at one paragraph in the English original that was not translated in full or in part for readers in China:

The Potala [Palace in Lhasa] exit sends me into a sea of vendors selling prayer beads. Though they are selling Tibetan objects of worship, most vendors seem to be Chinese migrants. “ The Chinese tourism just allows migrants to take tourism jobs–Chinese businesspeople mass-produce Tibetan jewelry and they run the jewelry shops in the Barkhor [older part of Lhasa],â€? says one Tibetan guide.

Tibet is not free and neither is China. Censorship of this kind is not the product of a liberal society. When will the American press start honestly confronting the Chinese Communist Party on their illiberal policies?

Technorati Tags: censorship, China, Joshua Kurlantzick, Tibet