Nowadays, when it comes to China coverage, it’s VERY important to distinguish how information is censored from how the government actually addresses the situation. Nuances often get lost between these two…
…Info control itself in China is now a well-oiled mechanism, but it doesn’t always automatically shed light on the events themselves. Gag orders—often coordinated with private platforms thru self-censorship—could be used to cover up utter incompetence on the ground level…
…More often than not, ppl who aren’t familiar with China would take the censorship on the face value and make easy arguments about the government’s malice and evil doing. Yes. They exists. But …A LOT MORE damages are done thru incompetence and willful ignorance…
In a nutshell: the government built a high-tech Panopticon doesn’t mean every oppression is designed with precision and malice. To the opposite, the panopticon is often used to hide dumb things that can’t be fixed with info control 🤷♂️
*exist
One more thing. there’s a clear self-fulfilling prophecy: more censorship —> more pushbacks from overseas (domestic voices can’t get out) —> more pressure on central gov to stand against “foreign interference” —> elevate a local-level blunder to a national security problem
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