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China’s censors jumped into action just 20 minutes after Peng Shuai accused a former vice premier of sexual assault, according to analyses by The New York Times and ProPublica.
— NYT Business (@nytimesbusiness) December 8, 2021
Here’s a look at how China reacted — and how it stumbled. https://t.co/AtGjuABpW7
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As Chinese state media worked to shift the narrative around Peng Shuai, they got help from a familiar resource: a big old bot network. We turned up 97 fake accounts amplifying and claiming to believe the creepy proof-of-life posts from state media: https://t.co/T4JV5Q2E1a
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 8, 2021
They were part of a broader network of 1,700 accounts we found that pushed other propaganda points, linking #StopAsianHate to articles critical of China and hitting out at usual targets like Guo Wengui and Steve Bannon. They posted mostly during China work hours: pic.twitter.com/5pUduc6Z4M
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 8, 2021
Even on China's censored internet, a turn to nationalism failed. For at least 10 days on Weibo, the only uncensored post on Peng was a French Embassy criticism. In the controlled comments section, posts lashed out against the meddling French. One told them to retreat.
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 8, 2021
One commentator likened the whole thing to a fire truck pouring gasoline on a fire. They "buried their heads in the sand and made these theatrical scenes, one after another," he said. “If someone says they’re free, while they’re in the hands of a kidnapper, that is terrifying.”
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 8, 2021
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weehingthong 