China Begins to Silence Bloggers
Ma Ling is a blogger who has an audience of more than 16 million people but suddenly went conspicuously silent. The authorities had designated her a threat to social stability while they are battling for control of the Chinese internet. The state-run news media had accused Ms. Ma of circulating false information and had her social media accounts wiped from the internet. Jia Jia, a blogger who is known to write about history, said, "There is no longer any freedom of speech in China. In the end, no one will be spared."
Since December of 2018, the authorities have closed more than 140,000 blogs and deleted more than 500,000 articles because they were said to have contained false information, distortions, and obscenities. Authorities have blacklisted writers who traded celebrity gossip, analysts who discussed rising property prices, and advocates who wrote about problems in the countryside, not just those who present false information.
Bloggers have described the silencing of Ms. Ma as a strict warning to independent media in China. This warning is that the party is in charge and writers must play by its rules. People perceive the Chinese government as a serious father who always wants control of his people and to determine what they like and dislike.
For example, one account that focused on women was suspended last year after the authorities said its posts on sexual health were "distasteful." Another example is an account run by a nonprofit that was shut down in December because it published articles on a chemical spill in eastern China.
The broader problem, said Wang Yongzhi an outspoken commentator in Hangzhou, was that China's leaders paid little attention to social issues which left a void that bloggers helped fill. He also stated that "It is becoming unbearable. The party simply can't tolerate anyone who has a big influence on society."
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