HONG KONG — Just prior to the 4th plenum of the 16th Party’s Congress which began on Thursday, September 16, 2004, CCP’s Ministry of Propaganda, issued a few instructions in its attempt to tighten media disciplines. The ministry has demanded the media to keep providing the correct guidance to the public, step up positive reporting, and create a better atmosphere for the party’s fourth plenum and the 55th anniversary of the founding of China.

The Sing Pao Daily said that, China’s propaganda ministry recently issued nearly 30 internal instructions to China’s media outlets, demanding full collaboration from the information community, to primarily report happy stories about good people, creating a favorable atmosphere for the upcoming party’s 4th plenum and China’s national day. Most stories barred from reporting include petitioners coming to Beijing from all over China who have been forced to leave their homes, and who face other judicial injustices.

The ministry has also criticized certain newspapers and websites for hyping up news stories that are not based on facts, with negative consequences to the public, said the source. In its instructions, the ministry accused a newspaper in Beijing in particular of untrue coverage of a military singer, Song Zuying, who was paid 420,000 yuan (US$50,000) for singing four songs in Chipin county, Sichuan province. That story was followed by a large number of media websites, causing damaging effects overseas.

According to the source, a senior official from the ministry recently warned against a surge of bourgeois liberalization. He specifically mentioned associate professor Jiao Guoji of the Information and Media College of Beijing University, and criticized him for posting an article entitled, “Assaulting the Propaganda Ministry” on a Chinese language website in March. He cautioned that, the present situation in the ideology (propaganda) field is grave, and officials in the information community and especially leaders at major media outlets should be extra sensitive.