Officials criticised for failing to censor Web public opinion

Local governments have come under fire for their failure to understand the power of the internet to stir up protests and have been urged to harness the latest technologies to control public opinion.

The Xinhua-run Outlook Weekly magazine published a detailed report yesterday on the internet's role in creating 'mass incidents'.

Quoting internet censors and government and party officials, the magazine warned the internet 'has become a major mobilisation tool and communication channel for some mass incidents' and was another obstacle preventing officials dealing effectively with protests. The article urged local officials to develop new political and technical approaches to tackle such incidents.

Internet users have been the driving force behind a string of campaigns. Most recently, the case of a hotel pedicurist in Hubei province who killed a government official who was allegedly trying to rape her sparked outrage online and eventually forced the authorities to gag the media and seal off the county where the incident took place.

'In the past, mass incidents usually took place in one location, so the amount of information was limited and its spread was limited,' the article said. 'However, with a skyrocketing netizen population, some local cases have expanded in scope due to the interaction in cyberspace.'

Experts said the authorities needed to step up training and reduce dependence on traditional propaganda channels.

A former official from Shanghai's Internet News Administration Office, Zhang Xiaoyu, was quoting as saying that 'in the current transitional period of society, people are highly sensitive about how public powers participate in the allocation of social interests'.