Information Society Watch

January, 18 2008, Jaime FlorCruz, CNN

China has long been known for its strict curb on the flow of information, but things are changing, as is evident by the outpouring of support and anger in the wake of the recent death of citizen journalist Wei Wenhua. Wei was beaten to death by local city inspectors after he attempted to take pictures of the inspectors beating up villagers blocking trucks dumping trash. Earlier, such incidents would have been swept under the carpet. Now, with the Internet connecting people together, concerned Chinese people have networked and blogged about the incident, paying tribute to Wei and urging action. Though the state acts to silence the popular reaction, it is hoped that the Internet will facilitate the dissemination of news and opinions, even in a country whose Internet is as strictly controlled as China's.

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