links for 2009-02-12

"Even before the flames had been extinguished early Tuesday, images of the burning hotel had been removed from the country's main Internet portals. By afternoon, the entire story had been buried. A directive sent out by propaganda officials left no room for error: 'No photos, no video clips, no in-depth reports,' read the memo, which instructed all media outlets to use only Xinhua's dispatches. 'The news should be put on news areas only and the comments posting areas should be closed.'"