In November 2006, the propaganda department of a county Communist Party Committee affirmed that news reporting is a matter of politics. "Media is the mouthpiece of the Party." The Party should carefully guide public opinion by following "the principle of ‘enhancing positive publicity, blocking negative reports, and handling sensitive reports with caution." The directive calls for implementation of a mechanism of censorship so that "no person shall collect and publish news reports on problems and hot issues without the approval of the County Committee’s Propaganda Department." Topics banned from news reporting include disparity of income, lawsuits against the Party and the authorities, embezzlement and anything that will "bring instability to our society." News reporting of international events must be consistent with that of the central government. Violators will be publicly reprimanded.
