China’s state media broadcasts compulsory propaganda on the first day of school every year for millions of schoolchildren and their parents. But when the public turned to social media to criticize this year’s program, their comments were quickly censored.
All elementary- and middle-school students, as well as their parents, were mandated by China’s education ministry to watch the program, “First Lesson of New Semester,” on state broadcaster CCTV. Students were also asked by some teachers to write a report about what they learned from the program, as homework.
