Shillong: Beijing is silencing news about the floods in Tibet. The Chinese government relies on strict censorship and positive state media coverage to control the narrative. Censors scrub digital criticism of the government's response to the disaster. A report in The Diplomat confirms this pattern. It notes, "As a general practice, China's state media outlets are instructed to emphasise 'positive reporting' during times of crisis, while censors remove criticisms of government responses or culpability online."
Tensions flared online after BBC correspondent Laura Bicker reported that Beijing scrubbed videos of a landslide at Gyirong Port. These videos, which showed a wave of mud and water destroying the area, disappeared from platforms like Weixin and RedNote. Beijing fears any sign of instability in the region. Foreign journalists face total exclusion. Allyson Horn of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation made repeated travel requests to Tibet, but officials denied all of them.
Independent verification is now impossible. State media outlets spend their time highlighting rescue efforts by the People's Liberation Army. Coverage centers on Premier Li Qiang's visit and President Xi Jinping's leadership. The Guardian reports that these outlets ignore the suffering of local villagers. Meanwhile, journalists work freely on the Nepali side of the border. Critics claim the government is hiding the true death toll. No outsiders can verify these figures because of the blockade on the disaster zone.
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