Newspapers and internet websites in China continue to be strictly controlled by the state. This week it was revealed that they may be further restricted, following an order from the totalitarian government to avoid people reading about what they call "conspiracy theories".
There are many so-called conspiracy theories that contradict the official government line in China, and the Chinese government are worried enough to want to introduce a ban. It is thought there could be widespread unrest if these "lies" were well known.
The banned stories include:
- news that the US landed on the Moon before China,
- rumours that Michael Jackson was not Chinese,
- a conspiracy theory that suggests that the Cold War has ended, and communism lost,
- Western propaganda saying that the global financial system is in danger of collapse,
- news that Elvis is dead,
- a conspiracy theory that suggests that cars built in the West are not pedal-powered.
However, many international news stories are surprisingly not censored at all. The recent news that China is cracking down on conspiracy theory websites has been very widely reported, leading some people to become very confused indeed.
