Just Released: Freedom in the World 2026
Freedom House’s biweekly update of press freedom and censorship news related to the People’s Republic of China. HIGHLIGHTS * Key bloggers barred from social media after ‘sensitive’ remarks * Investigative report describes illegal web-deletion business * Short-lived ‘fan club’ blog belies Xi’s call for public critique of party * Report traces U.S. cyberattacks to Shanghai military unit * Taiwan regulator rejects cable merger, proposes antimonopoly rules
Freedom House’s biweekly update of press freedom and censorship news related to the People’s Republic of China HIGHLIGHTS * State media grapple with skepticism over economic data * Regulator bans TV ads for luxury ‘gifts’ * ‘Surveillance state’ breeds distrust in Chinese society * Uighur scholar barred from leaving for U.S. * More U.S. news outlets report China-based hacking
Freedom House’s weekly update of press freedom and censorship news related to the People’s Republic of China HIGHLIGHTS * As media tout Xi’s focus on ethics, leak shows hard line on regime security * Journalists respond to false rumor of Bo Xilai trial * Qihoo hit by competition warning, removal from iTunes store * Netizens petition U.S. to bar entry for China firewall creators * Hong Kong journalists organize to block corporate privacy bill
Freedom House’s weekly update of press freedom and censorship news related to the People’s Republic of China HIGHLIGHTS * ‘Southern Weekly’ gets new editor, honors censored stories * New rules expand real-name registration, tighten censorship * Beijing said to have over two million online ‘propaganda workers’ * Tibetan filmmaker’s prison conditions reportedly improved * China’s Tencent accused of censoring app users abroad
Freedom House’s weekly update of press freedom and censorship news related to the People’s Republic of China The ‘Southern Weekly’ Controversy * Censored New Year’s article sparks revolt at ‘Southern Weekly’ * Impasse draws wave of public support for free speech * Authorities clamp down, defend media controls * ‘Southern Weekly’ returns to ‘normal’ * What it all means
Freedom House’s weekly update of press freedom and censorship news related to the People’s Republic of China HIGHLIGHTS * New propaganda chief reemerges, seeks better techniques * China ranks third in world on jailing of journalists * Surveillance, psychiatric detention limit academic freedom * Huawei–Iran ties reported, ZTE wins state funding for expansion * Study analyzes keyword censorship during mass incidents
Freedom House’s weekly update of press freedom and censorship news related to the People’s Republic of China
HIGHLIGHTS * Politburo aims to curb profligacy, fawning coverage of top officials * New propaganda chief drops from public view * Nobel winner Mo Yan defends censorship, reporters reach Liu Xia * TV station suspended over vulgar row on game show * Tibetans held for mobile-phone Dalai Lama images
HIGHLIGHTS * New leaders of censorship apparatus named, dimming hopes for opening * Censors curb news on top officials, Xi’s wife, and financial cases * Elton John dedicates Beijing concert to dissident artist Ai Weiwei * Journalist detained for report on neglected boys’ deaths * Taiwan consortium seals Next Media purchase amid protests
HIGHLIGHTS * Hu report, Politburo lineup point to hard-liners’ strength * Censors target Google, virtual private networks for party congress * Businesses pressured to install internet surveillance equipment * Pro-Beijing tycoon named as force behind Next Media purchase in Taiwan * Torture references stall James Bond film release in China
HIGHLIGHTS * Party congress crackdown on dissidents continues, with long-term costs * ‘New York Times’ blocked for exposé on premier’s family wealth * Netizens watch U.S. elections and hurricane, lament protest censorship at home * Chinese search engines sign code of conduct amid fierce competition * American journalist recounts two years at Chinese magazine
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