The stabbing of American tourists in Beijing received no mention in some prominent Chinese newspapers. CMP looks at the whole spectrum of coverage:

“But while Chinese Web users had a reasonably good chance of running across the story, newspaper readers might have missed it altogether…

In China’s official party mouthpiece, People’s Daily, it was a very different story. As expected, the dominating meta-story was the Beijing Olympic Games as an unprecedentedly positive historical, political and sporting event.

Media have certainly been instructed to ‘emphasize positive news’ during this key moment for China. And there is the further issue — pressure from propaganda authorities aside — of news choice among Chinese editors, who are likely avoid more unpleasant stories that seem to dampen the positive public mood surrounding the Games in Beijing.”

After the earthquake, fake Chinese news angers a few, but not most:

“There are always those few who just have to sing the opposite tune from the people, thinking this is the only way you can set yourself apart,” one user wrote, an apparent reference to the need to sing the party’s “main theme” (主旋律). “Get lost! Is there any point to you doing this!”

“Who can doubt a mother’s love,” wrote another Web user in a clearly emotional post trailed with a forest of exclamation points.

“It doesn’t matter whether this information is true or not. What matters is whether the feelings are true,” said yet another.