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China's Great Firewall of Internet censorship has become household knowledge in recent years, but the extent to which the country controls all forms of media is less well known. It has, however, become a huge headache for Hollywood lately, as movie studios struggle to break in to the world's second largest film market. It's a struggle because every single film bound for Chinese theaters has to make it pastChina's all-powerful State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) whose guidelines for what is and isn't acceptable is more or less subjective and entirely unpredictable. All the studios can do is hire consultants who are familiar with the ins and outs of censorship in China and hope for the best. But even after a script is approved and the film is shot and edited, SARFT can swoop in and block the film for any reason.

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That's exactly what happened to director Rob Cohen, who explained the travails of working with China's censors to The New York Times in a story set to hit the paper's front page on Tuesday. One of Cohen's recent films isThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor -- we didn't realize they were still making The Mummy series either but whatever -- which was filmed in China in 2007 after the country's censorship bureau had approved the script. However, after watching the film, Cohen says that the censors landed on a problem that the filmmakers "didn't have any way of seeing, or any way of fixing." Cohen put it bluntly: "White Westerners were saving China." Although the film was approved, Cohen says its release was delayed until after it had been seen by everyone else in the world.

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Bringing in consultants does help movie studios frame projects in a censor-friendly manner, but after filming begins the filmmakers have to be very careful not to deviate from the plan. As Cohen explained, SARFT sends spies to the set to make sure everything is going as planned."There were points where we were shooting with a crew of 500 people," said Cohen. "I'm not sure who was who or what, but knowing the way the system works, it's completely clear that had we deviated from the script, it would not have gone unnoticed." This is even more believable when you realize that China has tens of thousands of volunteer spies, monitoring the Internet and helping to identify which sites should be blocked.

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Like we said, any little detail can be cause for blocking a movie. InThe Karate Kid, SARFT didn't like the fact that the villain was Chinese so the filmmakers had to change the story to make it acceptable. They took issue withKung Fu Panda simply because the main character was a nationally treasured animal. Censors ordered nearly 15 minutes of footage to be cut fromMen in Black 3 because the movie referred to Chinese censorship. God forbid the Chinese people find out that their government is controlling.

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Hollywood Now Needs Censorship Consultants in China

Celebrities Targeted in Censorship Crackdown mdash;NTD China News, January 11, 2013
In today #39;s NTD China News, China and Japan play cat and mouse with fighter jets over the disputed Diaoyu, aka Senkaku, Islands. Chinese authorities have turned on celebrities to silence anti-censorship protests. Taiwanese actress Annie Yi is among those who were "invited to tea" with police. The term is a code for being called in for questioning. At least 42 people died in a landslide in Yunnan province. Dozens more were buried. Human rights abuses aren #39;t the only problem with China #39;s labor camp system, the massive amounts of money spent on operating it is also drawing attention. Senior Chinese official Yu Zhengsheng has reiterated the Chinese regime #39;s stance on the "Dalai Lama clique". Yu #39;s speech in Sichuan province this week indicates the regime will not let up in its suppression of the Tibetans. The cold spell in China has pushed up the prices of food, driving up inflation in December to 2.5% more than a year ago. As Chinese residents around the country experience record breaking low temperatures, some are finding some unexpected inconveniences like slow charging iPads. New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts impress audiences in Quebec, Canada, with its sellout performances showcasing China #39;s 5000 years of divinely inspired culture.

By: NTDonChina

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Celebrities Targeted in Censorship Crackdown—NTD China News, January 11, 2013 - Video

censorship and gaming.
kotaku.com http://www.igda.org kotaku.com this is wasteful and absurd.

By: Octaviou Rex

Originally posted here:
censorship and gaming. - Video

The Constitution #39;s Article 35 and Censorship
Follow us on TWITTER: twitter.com Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com At the beginning of this year, the hottest topic was the New Year #39;s special edition of the Southern Weekly, which was tampered with by a Guangdong Propaganda Department official. After the intervention with the Guangdong Provincial Party Secretary, Hu Chunhua, the incident has temporarily come to an end. However, the British Financial Times said, "Article 35 of China #39;s Constitution is to protect the freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Thus, conflicts from the Southern Weekly incident look ridiculous and laughable. Article 35 of the Constitution stipulates, "Citizens of the People #39;s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, press, association, procession and demonstration." However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) never implemented article 35,and even the phrase, "freedom of speech" is shielded. The Financial Times published an article in January entitled, "From the Southern Weekly incident China #39;s ridiculous censorship can be seen." The article says the CCP keeps article 35 in the Constitution, but it uses censorship to remind the public that the Party media is unshakable. This sounds indeed ridiculous. The article also quoted Marx as saying capitalist society will eventually collapse due to the weight of its contradictions. Let #39;s hope the censorship in China will collapse due to the weight of its contradictions. The CCP Guangdong Provincial Party Secretary, Hu Chunhua, reached an ...

By: ChinaForbiddenNews

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The Constitution's Article 35 and Censorship - Video

As the proverbial smoke clears from the battlefield where journalists from the feisty Southern Weekend newspaper fought government censors this week, the reporters victory seems to have yielded only meager gains.

Staffers at the weekly, based in the southern city of Guangzhou, won a pledge that their paper will no longer be subjected to prior censorship, according to sources close to negotiations. Instead, the authorities will rely on reporters and editors to censor themselves, as they had traditionally done.

This was not an ambitious aim, says Yan Lieshan, Southern Weekends associate chief editor until he retired a year ago. It was the most limited, most practical goal.

Still, the journalistic rebellion, which involved strike threats, represents progress, because the staff did stand up and fight against censorship, says Mr. Yan in a telephone interview.

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I dont think censorship will disappear or become less important in [the governments] management of the media, adds Gong Wenxiang, professor of Journalism at Peking University. But the openness of this conflict was new and significant.

Staff at Southern Weekend, an independent-minded weekly that in the past has been more critical of the government than most Chinese media, erupted when they found that a New Years editorial in last weeks edition, hoping for firmer rule of law in China, had been mangled on the censors orders, and its meaning traduced. Some threatened to strike.

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The dispute spread rapidly, even as the authorities sought to keep a lid on it. Supporters of the paper gathered to demonstrate outside its Guangzhou editorial offices, celebrities and other newspapers expressed their sympathy with the weekly, and the state-run tabloid Global Times drew widespread scorn on blogging platforms for an editorial blaming foreign forces for stirring unrest at Southern Weekend.

The Central Propaganda Department, the branch of the ruling Communist Party that controls the Chinese media, demanded that the countrys largest and most important newspapers and websites reprint the Global Times editorial. Most did, though they added their own disclaimers; one Beijing paper refused to print the article, but its editors finally bowed to government pressure a day later.

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Chinese reporters say censorship leaves them 'dancing in handcuffs'