China Media Bulletin Resources

Resource Overview: 

• Resources for accessing uncensored information, protecting user privacy
• Take action to help journalists and free expression activists
• Recommendations for policymakers, media, donors, and others
• More Freedom House analysis on China 
  
   

Resources for accessing uncensored information, protecting user privacy

China's system of information control is one of the most sophisticated and restrictive in the world, and the limited space for freedom of expression has been reduced even further in recent years. Moreover, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda and censorship efforts are increasingly reaching beyond China’s borders. As a result, news and information on issues of vital importance to both Chinese citizens and the wider world have been suppressed.

To combat these trends, various actors inside China—journalists, bloggers, lawyers, and religious believers—as well as foreign governments, civil society groups, media development organizations, and technologists have been implementing strategies to protect and expand freedom of expression and access to information.

Freedom House researchers have compiled the resources and recommendations below and on related pages for China Media Bulletin readers who wish to help counter repressive CCP information controls.

No censorship circumvention tool or digital security system is perfect. The following resources are for readers’ reference. Please be sure to research and choose tools carefully based on your needs, technological knowledge, and the threat level you face.

Resources for Journalists: 

• Reporters Without Borders’ general Safety Guide for Journalists includes an informative chapter on digital security that describes precautions to take in China and some of the relevant tools that can be used, though the guide alone may not be sufficient given the tight information environment in China.
• Committee to Protect Journalists: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is a New York–based nonprofit dedicated to defending media freedom and assisting journalists. Each year it publishes a list of jailed journalists around the world, including in China. 

Take Action: Support journalists and free expression activists

China has one of the largest populations of prisoners of conscience in the world, including hundreds of documented cases of people jailed for working as journalists, peacefully expressing criticism of the government, or sharing censored information online and offline about corruption, police brutality, or religious persecution.

Many of these prisoners are the subject of international rescue campaigns. Such efforts have been proven time and again to reduce prisoners’ risk of torture and even secure their early release. The following information explains how readers can add their voice and support to the work different organizations are doing to help these courageous individuals.

Take Action: Share a Prisoner's Story

Freedom House’s China Media Bulletin has featured the following individuals who were sentenced to long prison terms in China for peacefully exercising their right to free expression. One simple way to help them is to raise awareness. You can start by sharing their story on social media.

Take Action: Write a Letter

You can also help the above prisoners by writing a letter to your parliamentary or government representative and asking that they raise the case with Chinese officials.

• Amnesty International is best known for its global letter-writing campaigns on behalf of prisoners of conscience around the world. Chinese bloggers, lawyers, and free expression activists are regularly the focus of such campaigns. To view current campaigns on behalf of prisoners in China and add your voice with a letter to Chinese officials, see this page on Amnesty International’s website, or view the Take Action section at the end of the latest issue of the China Media Bulletin.
• Front Line Defenders is an organization based in Ireland that campaigns on behalf of human rights defenders around the world, including via letters sent to Chinese government officials. To view current campaigns focused on rights defenders in China, sample text for a letter, and the addresses of relevant Chinese officials, see this page on the group’s website and click “Take Action” under the activist you would like to help.

Take Action: Help A Prisoner’s Family

Several organizations started by Chinese activists outside mainland China attempt to provide humanitarian assistance to prisoners and their families, including those jailed for exercising their right to free expression.

• Shiyuan (10 dollars) Project
  This project was founded by Chinese civil rights activists in Canada. Participants can give a monthly donation of 10 dollars to help support prisoners of conscience and their families.
• Humanitarian China
  Humanitarian China is a small organization founded by overseas Chinese in the United States. It provides relief for over 100 prisoners of conscience and their families each year.
• Friends of Conscience
  This Hong Kong–based nonprofit collects information about prisoners of conscience in China, including internet and free expression advocates, and verifies their families’ contact information. Donors may choose a designated recipient and arrange a donation directly to that family, or make a general donation to the foundation.

Have Another Idea?

Email [email protected] for up-to-date information about advocacy efforts on behalf of the China Media Bulletin’s featured prisoners and others like them, and to discuss how you can be of assistance.