#Newspaper

China's state council's white paper propagandises anti-epidemic "achievements" without acknowledging whistleblower Dr Li Wenliang

(7 Jun)Today, China's State Council Information Office released a white paper entitled "Fighting COVID-19: China in Action", which declared China a "victim nation" of COVID-19 that deserved fair treatment and was "not to be blamed". It expressed firm opposition against the stigmatization and politicization of the pandemic. The white paper claimed that when the pandemic began, China "provided clear and explicit information to the international community". However, it blatantly omitted the fact that Chinese provincial officials prevented hospitals from reporting cases of the virus. It also neglected to mention ophthalmologist Dr Li Wenliang being exposed to the epidemic and reprimanded by Wuhan authorities. This is an obvious cover-up of the situation's reality.

The white paper consists of 35,000 words and is divided into four sections [with the following titles]: "China's Fight against the Epidemic: A Test of Fire", "Well-Coordinated Prevention, Control and Treatment", "Assembling a Powerful Force to Beat the Virus" and "Building a Global Community of Health for All."

//Xu Lin, deputy minister of the Central Propaganda Department, responded to external criticism during the press conference for the [white paper's] announcement. He said that the Chinese media's reports on the epidemic were impartial and based on facts; accusations of false propaganda were inaccurate and totally ill-founded. Xu criticized the foreign politicians and media that politicised the pandemic and sensationalised theories of its "Chinese origin" and "China's cover-up", among others, without any scientific backing.

Full translation:
https://telegra.ph/Chinas-state-councils-white-paper-propagandises-anti-epidemic-achievements-without-acknowledging-whistleblower-Dr-Li-Wenliang-06-21

Source: Apple Daily

#LiWenliang #WHO #Coronavirus #VirusOrigin #WhitePaper #Epidemic #ChinesePropaganda

WeChat Censorship Tightens with Chinese State Media Articles Containing Sensitive Words Blocked Too, Says University of Toronto Study

A report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab released this week shows that censorship on WeChat has been tightened. The lab tracked changes to WeChat’s list of censored words between this January and May. It was found that over 2,000 words relating to the pandemic have been marked sensitive and blocked. An article by the state media, too, would disappear from the platform if it contains any of those sensitive words, shwoing that the freedom of expression on WeChat is even more limited than that allowed by the state media.

As WeChat censors contents on a remote server, it was not possible for the researchers to understand how the censorship works by inspecting the codes. What they did instead was to create three dummy accounts with one Chinese and two Canadian numbers. They then started a group conversation where they shared Chinese-language articles from media organizations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. By observing which articles were blocked, they identified the words deemed sensitive by WeChat.

The study reveals that more than 2,000 words relating to the Wuhan virus pandemic were blocked by WeChat between this January and May, even if they came in an article by the state media. That WeChat banned certain topics allowed by the state-controlled media is a sign that it adheres to an even more stringent standard.

The investigation shows how WeChat has manipulated the narrative on the pandemic from the start. It was found that back when Wuhan was placed under lockdown, WeChat was already blocking texts containing the name of the whistle-blower Li Wenliang. Reports of the Chinese authorities informing the US of the outbreak as early as on 3 January were also blocked. Articles containing the terms “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” and “SARS-CoV-2”, too, were banned from being circulated.

As the epidemic spread to the rest of world in March, WeChat began blocking articles mentioning such international organizations as the WHO and the Red Cross and those that dealt with outbreaks in countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and the UK. Articles containing keywords about the US and international relations were also banned.

#UniversityOfToronto #UofT #CitizenLab #China #WeChat #Censorship #Pandemic #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #LiWenliang

Source: Apple Daily #Aug29

https://bit.ly/3h3ftL4

Dr #LiWenliang died because #CCP tried to shut him up. Later they mourned him, hailed him as a national hero. But old habits die hard, CCP is still jailing journalists for speaking the truth. Empiricism and Truth are threats to a tyrant, lose the illusion that CCP will ever change and democratize.
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#china #wuhanvirus #covid #coronavirus #pandemic #truth #journalist #pressfreedom #freespeech #censorship #english #diyms

A Canadian doctor says he thinks it’s “quite unlikely” that whistleblower Dr. #LiWenliang died of #COVID19 days after he was arrested by the #CCP for warning about a “SARS-like” outbreak.

Li alerted others about the novel coronavirus on Dec. 30, 2019. https://www.theepochtimes.com/canadian-doctor-says-its-unlikely-coronavirus-whistleblower-in-china-died-from-covid-19-days-after-arrest_4958907.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=telegram

The United States is shutting down a Chinese police station in the heart of #NewYorkCity. Meanwhile, New York held a commemorative event for Dr. #LiWenliang, the first whistleblower who sounded the alarm about the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan.

https://ept.ms/USChinaPoliceStation

A man has been arrested for allegedly using vandalism to disrupt a vigil being held in remembrance of Dr. #LiWenliang, the whistleblower who sounded the alarm about the #COVID19 pandemic in #Wuhan. https://www.theepochtimes.com/man-arrested-for-disrupting-vigil-commemorating-dr-li-wenliang-in-los-angeles_5051106.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=telegram