A prominent Shanghai newspaper has suspended an employee who leaked a secret propaganda directive instructing media to stop covering the hard-hitting air pollution documentary that has captivated the Chinese internet this week.
The documentary, Under the Dome , has racked up more than 166m views since it was published last Saturday and has been heavily discussed online and among “two meetings” delegates.
The suspension highlights the sensitivity around propaganda efforts during China’s annual “two meetings” period, when the national parliament and a separate political consultation body convene in Beijing to rubber-stamp the government’s policy agenda for the year.