Media Control

Here's a very interesting article I found by accident on a Chinese forum: Changing the Subject: The "Invisible" Control Mechanism in Chinese Media

It is worth reading in full, substituting Chinese Government with South African Government. For example, here is one paragraph from the article, with some words substituted:

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There is a very basic aspect of the South African political discourse that is so obvious that it is seldom commented on. It involves a common dynamic in human interactions where hypocrisy, deception, and issues of "saving face" intersect. It is this:

If I find myself in disagreement with another person about something, and yet I sincerely believe in the correctness of my own position, I will seek to highlight our differences and show decisively why my position is sound and that of the other person is flawed. If, on the other hand, I am painfully aware that the other person has a point, and I am in the wrong, I will change the subject.

The strategy of the South African government is to change the subject.
***

Interesting to note that China has a long list of words that you cannot search for on Google. After reading this article, I searched for more on Ann Condi (a pseudonym), the writer. Google blanked out. It stays unusable for 30 seconds, and never returns any results. It's magic. So obviously she has been noted by "sinister figures" and has been blacklisted. Wonder where she is today?