Comments on: AP’s Report Inaccurate; Chinese Microblogging Sites Very Much Alive after Crackdown (with updates) http://thingsyoudontknowaboutchina.com/aps-report-inaccurate-chinese-microblogging-sites-very-much-alive-after-crackdown/ Society, culture, discourse Sat, 06 Jun 2015 13:20:47 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.11 By: Jin Zhao http://thingsyoudontknowaboutchina.com/aps-report-inaccurate-chinese-microblogging-sites-very-much-alive-after-crackdown/#comment-107 Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:02:02 +0000 http://thingsyoudontknowaboutchina.com/?p=856#comment-107 The government will have to do something more than censoring and suppressing information. The root of the spreading of rumors or unverified information is that there’s little official information available for the public and the little official information that IS available is often received by the public with suspicion. Because of this lack of information about the government, officials and what’s happening in the political circles, Chinese people, starved for information, turn to whatever information out there that’s available to them. Besides, the government has lost its credibility as a source of information since a long time ago. If the government wants to stop “rumors” from spreading, it has to seriously rebuild its credibility with more transparency and make more credible information available to the public. China is no North Korea–not any more. Suppression of information won’t work in the long term. I agree with you that there will be other venues opened up when one is closed. If those in the government are smart, they have to see that engaging in conversations with the public with sincerity is the only way to stop such “rumors.” I know right now the picture looks pretty grim, but I’m hopeful, perhaps more so than ever.

]]> By: Jin Zhao http://thingsyoudontknowaboutchina.com/aps-report-inaccurate-chinese-microblogging-sites-very-much-alive-after-crackdown/#comment-106 Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:15:02 +0000 http://thingsyoudontknowaboutchina.com/?p=856#comment-106 Update: As of now, Sina Weibo disabled commenting, but still allows reposting. On Tencent Weibo, it seems that commenting and reposting are both functioning.

]]> By: Chopstik http://thingsyoudontknowaboutchina.com/aps-report-inaccurate-chinese-microblogging-sites-very-much-alive-after-crackdown/#comment-105 Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:42:39 +0000 http://thingsyoudontknowaboutchina.com/?p=856#comment-105 “… many Chinese are no longer willing to accept whatever imposed on them, and those who see weibo a freer and more open space for information sharing and public debate, many of whom are opinion leaders in China, will not let it to be smothered without a fight.”

We hope that it will not go down at all, and certainly not without a fight. However, I suspect that the government will win the fight simply because of its size and ability to fight on the issue more than any group of individuals.

However, I also suspect that even if it is taken down, something else will take its place. It is the nature of things – history teaches us this.

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