Not a surprise, but China has ordered media not to publish the Mohammad cartoons. More surprising, domestic media have been instructed not to mention anything further about the devolving mess.:

Got word of an new injunction: no publication of the Danish cartoons that have pitted one fourth of the world’s population bitterly, even violently, against Europe; no further coverage of the aftermath.

Too bad. I was actually thinking of doing something on that. But the censors certainly reacted too late this time. Guess they don’t pull Spring Festival shifts like us journalists do. The "damage", whatever it is, is already done. Domestic media have covered the whole sad affair, the violence included. Although somewhat timidly when it comes to the European papers’ defence of and insistence on, their freedom of speech. Maybe this very phrase is already banned in publications.

Most of my colleagues’ reaction to the news of the ban was something like "Yeah, right. As if we WERE REALLY PLANNING to run those cartoons", followed by some verbal abuse concerning certain people’s potential IQ scores. Even without instruction I think Chinese papers do have the good sense not to do that.

But what about simple, brief and unbiased coverage of the aftermath? Or subtle-worded op-ed pieces on the issue that might appear in the press? Are the censors worried that even this could be harmful to religious and ethnic relations?  I guess so but it’s almost impossible to stand in their shoes and follow their perverse thoughts.

AsiaPundit will not be publishing any the cartoons that caused such an excuse to pillage and riot offense. However, in solidarity with the right of press freedom, the right to criticize religions, and the right to give offense, AsiaPundit will  publish a 21st century image of Mr Jacques Barrot, winner of the French Pig-Squealing Championships in rie-sur-Baise’s annual festival.:

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