Chinese Government Takes Down Anti-Pollution Documentary "Under The Dome"

An anonymous reader writes with a link to BBC's report that [A]uthorities in China have removed from websites a popular documentary which highlights the country's severe pollution problem. Under the Dome explains the social and health costs of pollution, and was watched by more than 100 million people online, sparking debates. It was removed just two days after Premier Li Keqiang called pollution a blight on people's lives. Searching YouTube gives you a pretty good idea of what the Chinese government doesn't want people to see.

Comments

No link?

[ArcadeMan]

I guess there's so much smog that even links can't be seen.

Search youtube

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess a link is too much to ask?

BBC article

[Delphii]

http://m.bbc.com/news/world-as...

Re:BBC article

[Mashiki]

That's actually kinda funny, since his post appeared to rustle your jimmies so badly that you're throwing a hissy fit over it. Maybe it's time to take a step back from this lovely digital world, and wonder why your post comes across as a self-absorbed iAsshole.

Re:It's not censorship

[fustakrakich]

...these gloomy documentaries aren't helping the cause...

Yes they do... They motivate people to demand action to clean up, and to remind them we can have nice things and a clean planet. The 'dark shadow' over the government is well deserved when it doesn't respond. I find your response highly suspect.

Re:It's not censorship

[Zontar The Mindless]

Are you high? Of course it's censorship. A textbook example of it, in fact. Whatever the rationale might be for it does not alter that fact.

Link to videos, with English subtitles

[C3ntaur]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Re:Link to videos, with English subtitles

[yoyoofthemilk]

Thanks. I also found a full video one instead of a playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Is wasn't before it was

[SuperKendall]

In a previous story on this documentary, I read that a number of national news sources were promoting the film. So what changed that they would take it down now?

Re:Is wasn't before it was

[poity]

The order to take the videos offline was sent to all media companies. These orders are always secret, but a worker at the office of a Shanghai media company decided to leak the document. In this document, the Public Relations Department (literally Propaganda Dept, but "propaganda" doesn't have negative connotations in Chinese) orders the video taken down and that all media organizations must cease covering the topic. It cites the upcoming Lianghui ("Meeting of Two") government conference, and a pressing need for "online harmony" to precede those governmental deliberations as the reason, saying the public debate has gotten too popular/heated. So it looks like they had a change of mind after seeing the massive response. Report also says the worker has been suspended.
http://www.ftchinese.com/story...
http://www.boxun.com/news/gb/c...

Obligatory Firesign

[bmo]

"Where there's smoke there's work."

--
BMO

Dur, how does the World Wide Web work again?

[wonkey_monkey]

An anonymous reader writes with a link

...that he's apparently unwilling to share with the rest of us. Thanks!

Searching YouTube

Searching YouTube? How about acting like a professional news site instead, and providing a simple, clickable, link?

Did Tim Berners-Lee die in vain?!

I expect a news story, not homework and a test. Yes, I'm lazy. That's why I visit news sites in the first place instead of roaming the world to see things first hand.