Pop Quiz!

[LMNO]

You decide which one has been altered:


Washington, DC -- Citing concerns over the rising prevalence of pornography, the FCC recently launched a nationwide crackdown against Internet smut sites and pornography peddlers using new media outlets such as cellphone text messaging.
 
But the action, which authorities describe as a defense of social values, is essentially political and is being used to camouflage increasing strictures on the general media, critics of the government's actions say.

"Things have been steadily getting worse [for the media] over the last two years," said John Smith, a journalist once associated with The New Yorker, a newsweekly in the Blue-Stated Northeast. When the publication's critiques of the government got too punchy, its Web forum was closed and its two main editors fired.

Like many other publications that have been closed, Smith says he and his colleagues didn't think their work was so controversial. He said the government has become "completely arbitrary" in dealing with the press.

"Now there is not even a line to toe," he said. An article "might go unnoticed one day but a similar or even milder article may get into trouble the next day. This makes people stay as close to the official position as possible, a kind of self-censorship."

The precise number of newspapers and websites being forced to shut down or change their editorial stance is hard to estimate but is perhaps in the hundreds, said Janet Hubbins, a political activist in South Carolina. While authorities here routinely report the closure of porn and gambling websites -- last month about 1,000 such sites were shut down according to official reports -- they are tightlipped about the increasing actions taken against the political media, Hubbins said.

Indirect pressure on mainstream media outlets also appears to be rising. Last month, Chris Maxwell, a research assistant for The New York Times, was arrested and charged with revealing state secrets, which carries a maximum sentence of death if he is convicted.

Such actions, along with increasing human rights abuses, indicate the US is "moving backward" from the progress it made in previous years toward developing a more open system, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said during his visit to China last month.

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OR

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BEIJING -- Citing concerns over the rising prevalence of pornography, the Chinese government recently launched a nationwide crackdown against Internet smut sites and pornography peddlers using new media outlets such as cellphone text messaging.
 
But the action, which authorities describe as a defense of social values, is essentially political and is being used to camouflage increasing strictures on the general media, critics of the government's actions say.

"Things have been steadily getting worse [for the media] over the last two years," said Chu Tian, a journalist once associated with Southern Weekend, a newsweekly in southern Guangzhou province. When the publication's critiques of the government got too punchy, its Web forum was closed and its two main editors fired.

Like many other publications that have been closed, Chu says he and his colleagues didn't think their work was so controversial. He said the government has become "completely arbitrary" in dealing with the press.

"Now there is not even a line to toe," he said. An article "might go unnoticed one day but a similar or even milder article may get into trouble the next day. This makes people stay as close to the official position as possible, a kind of self-censorship."

The precise number of newspapers and websites being forced to shut down or change their editorial stance is hard to estimate but is perhaps in the hundreds, said Hou Wenzhuo, a political activist in Beijing. While authorities here routinely report the closure of porn and gambling websites -- last month about 1,000 such sites were shut down according to official reports -- they are tightlipped about the increasing actions taken against the political media, Hou said.

Indirect pressure on foreign media outlets also appears to be rising. Last month, Zhao Yan, a research assistant for The New York Times, was arrested and charged with revealing state secrets, which carries a maximum sentence of death if he is convicted.

Such actions, along with increasing human rights abuses, indicate China is "moving backward" from the progress it made in previous years toward developing a more open system, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said during his visit to China last month.

[East Coast Hustle]

ha! you can't trick me! they're both real!

[DJRubberducky]

I'm guessing the US one is fake, because if it were true, no newspaper would dare to publish it.

[SMFabal]

A Britsh paper would ...