THIS WAS DISCOVERED online the other day and it makes for very interesting reading.
Background: Known as the "50 Cent Party," pro-China Internet commentators are hired by the Chinese Communist Party to post comments favorable towards the regime, with the purpose of shaping or "guiding" public opinion. They are supposed to receive 50 cents per each post, hence the name. They steer online discussion away from anti-party or sensitive content on domestic websites, bulletin board systems, and chatrooms, or write things that advance the Party line.
Estimates for the number of people working in this capacity range from thousands to as high as 300,000.
The following is a translation of a leaked internal directive, “Working Guide for Internet Commentators.” We found it here, but it later has appeared on China Digital Times.
This Working Guide for Internet Commentators aims at cultivating and improving the professional and cooperative skills of the Internet commentators, and serves as an internal training manual for Internet Commentators Training at national province-city levels.General Rule: Network consensus warfare (controlling online information) is of vital importance to the survival of the People’s Republic of China state regime. To prompt the thriving and prosperity of our motherland, and to bring about a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, each and every Internet commentator is required to exercise their intelligence and work hard to protect this line of defense for the Republic.Basic Working Methods:1. Check official mailbox at least once an hour during working hours. Take heed of, and understand the spirit of the instructions from higher authorities.2. Internet commentators shall cooperate in accordance with instructions from higher authorities, and as required by your duties. Internet commentators with specific professional training and knowledge shall set up working groups to focus on specific tasks. When necessary to increase the number of personnel, higher authorities shall transfer personnel from other groups to staff such groups.3. Every major website and relevant Internet forum will be led by a subgroup, and daily work will be assigned accordingly. Daily work is to guide and maintain the correct orientation of public opinion. When sudden incidents happen, instructions from higher authorities’ specialized working groups shall be followed. At such times, daily work can be stopped to make full use of personnel for guiding public opinions correctly with respect to sudden incidents.4. Internet commentators shall skillfully disguise their true identities. Commentators may use different names to post comments where necessary, using different writing styles for different names. If needed, members from different groups can engage in text battles to create a false general opinion. Thereafter, a third party can present convincing evidence to guide public opinion in favor of that third party [note: this "third party" is presumably also a shill].5. When rumors are posted on the Internet, Internet commentators shall search to identify the origin and writer of the first post. Once identified, the website administrator must be ordered to delete the first post. Before deleting, an Internet commentator shall copy the contents of the post and use a different IP address to write a new post stating he/she is from the same place as the writer of the first post. After this is done, the webmaster or another Internet user can claim that the location of this IP address is different from the location of the incident. Using this logic, it can be argued that the first post was deliberately misleading.6. When necessary, commentators can produce even more terrifying fake news to attract the netizens’ attention, and then quickly clarify that the news is fake.7. Where the forums are popular and its users are more credible, commentators shall intervene by posting paradoxical messages for the purpose of creating chaos and confusion. Follow up posts shall then offer irrational misinterpretations of the messages. This will cause misunderstandings and arguments, and thus divert netizens’ attention.8. Overseas websites are more difficult to control. Where it is not possible to guide opinions, commentators shall engage in forum spamming. This can be done by posting massive numbers of short, irrelevant and irrational messages, thus filling the forum with meaningless, chaotic messages. Readers will then have no interest in the forum, thereby blocking the circulation and spreading of opinion.9. The basic techniques of Internet commentators include constant learning to improve writing skills, learning to write in different styles, and developing skillful imitation of other participants’ writing styles.10. Develop interpersonal skills and use them to make friends with Internet users; privately gain users’ confidence, especially those net friends who write influential messages. Where possible, try to become the webmasters of major forums.11. Develop good judgement and the ability to identify from among the multitude of posts—the truly influential posts and writers as key targets.12. Develop a clear and conscientious policy of the regulations, and do not misunderstand the current work spirit. Study the comprehensive digest of examples of recent posts instructed by higher authorities, and use them to construct your own.13. Combine flexibility with principle. Make it difficult to tell the truth from the falsehood, therefore making the Internet commentators’ true identity difficult to verify. Be familiar not only with our own view, but grasp the netizens’ mindset.14. Internet commentators must always remember their great missions. Do not be blocked by difficulties and misunderstandings, and do not be concerned about preserving personal face. Commentators do not get provoked by netizens under any circumstances. Stay rational and calm at all times.15. Internet commentators shall be steadfast in taking a stand; keep clear minds when confronting stimulating thoughts and treasure a future political career.16. The policy of combining group watch and supervisor watch shall apply to Internet commentators. Their performance shall be evaluated by concerned departments at higher levels.The above 16 articles serve as the Working Guide for Internet Commentators. All departments concerned are required to study it well and implement it thoroughly, and to pioneer in the movement of maintaining the Party’s vanguard nature.
