China says 197 punished in crackdown on online rumors

[Little Tich]

Source: AP

BEIJING (AP) — People recently punished in China's campaign against online rumors include those who circulated an inflated death toll in the Tianjin blasts and who alleged a man committed suicide because of the country's stock market woes, state media reported Monday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said 197 people have been punished in a special campaign, citing the Public Security Ministry, but did not say over what period.

Authorities over the past two years have waged a campaign to purge rumormongering from the Chinese Internet, saying that unethical and unbecoming behavior online needs to be wiped out. Critics say the campaign also is aimed at suppressing criticism of the ruling Communist Party.

Xinhua cited the ministry as saying that 165 online accounts were closed in the campaign's latest phase.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/8e9da13401b04fb6aaaf3cb53be82bd1/china-says-197-punished-crackdown-online-rumors

[davidpdx]

1. Why would China want the truth told about these disasters that are based on stupidity?