![In order to circumscribe the influence of Taiwanese democracy, in order to progress further in the work of guiding public opinion, and in accordance with the requirements established by higher authorities to "be strategic, be skilled," we hope that internet commentators conscientiously study the mindset of netizens, grasp international developments, and better perform the work of being an internet commentator. For this purpose, this notice is promulgated as set forth below: (1) To the extent possible make America the target of criticism. Play down the existence f Taiwan. (2) Do not directly confront [the idea of] democracy; rather, frame the argument in terms of "what kind of system can truly implement democracy." (3) To the extent possible, choose various examples in Western countries of violence and unreasonable circumstances to explain how democracy is not well-suited to capitalism (4) Use America's and other countries' interference in international affairs to explain how Western democracy is actually an invasion of other countries and [how the West] is forcibly pushing [on other countries] Western values. (5) Use the bloody and tear-stained history of a lonce] weak people [ie, Chinal] to stir up pro-Party and patriotic emotions. (6) Increase the exposure that positive developments inside China receive; further accommodate the work of maintaining [social] stability.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/001/125/530/9d9.png "2011 Leaked Internal Directive to the 50 Cent Party")
50 Cent Party / Wumao
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Editor's Note: Not to be confused with the American hip hop artist 50 Cent.
About
The 50 Cent Party (五毛党, English: wǔmáo dǎng), also known as 50 Cent Army, is the unofficial name of for-hire Internet commentators who are recruited by the propaganda authorities of the Chinese government to produce and promote positive messages that support various interests and agendas of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). The commenters are often referred to as "Wumao" (5 dimes in Chinese), as they are rumored to be paid approximately ¥0.50 for every post on social media.
Online History
- In October 2004, one of the earliest known recruitment and mobilization of online commentators for propaganda was undertaken by the Publicity Department of Changsha, the capital of China's southern-central province Hunan. According to an investigative report conducted and published by the Publicity Department of Hefei in 2006, Changsha's municipal government hired an unknown number of online forum and community members to proliferate pro-CPC opinions, and conversely, suppress criticisms of the government, for a monthly stipend of 600 yuan (appx. $100 USD). Hunan Province has been since cited as the pioneer of the mobilization of the “Fifty Cent Party” by various state-run news media outlets.
- In March 2005, China's Ministry of Education enacted a systematic censorship of Chinese college bulletin board systems (BBS), which led to the shutdown of the popular online forum Little Lilly run by Nanjing University. As the school officials began preparing to launch a new system in compliance with the new laws, they hired an unknown number of students as part-time commentators to search the forum for comments and opinions that are deemed as critical of the CPC and counter them with rebuttals that are aligned with the Party's interests.
- In April 2005, the CPC officials of Jiangsu, China's eastern coastal province, implemented a similar program to hire a team of at least 26 online commentators. In early 2006, Shanghai Normal University hired more than 500 students as part-time commentators on its ostensibly voluntary-based Internet monitoring team, which was reported on by the New York times on May 9th.
- On January 23rd, 2007, Chinese leader Hu Jintao asked for a "reinforcement of ideological and public opinion front construction and positive publicity" during the 38th collective learning of Politburo. In complying with Hu's directive, the CPC's Central Committee and General Office of the State Council requested several highly-trafficked online forums, as well as the authorities of various municipal and local governments, to form "teams of Internet commentators" for service towards that end.
- By mid-2007, similar online propaganda and public opinion monitoring groups had been established by universities and party organizations across the country, including the Government of Golog in Qinghai province, the Provincial Government of Sichuan
- In June 2007, the Public Security Bureau of Jiaozuo in Henan province formed an online task force of 35 commentators recruited from various state-run media institutions and outlets, as well as more than 120 police officers with excellent communications skills, to monitor, screen and report negative opinions about the city's police department.
Etymology
The names associated with the group, the "50 Cent Party" and "50-Centers," are derived from details about the compensation of the employees in state official documents, which state that commentators are to be paid 0.5 yuan (or five jiǎo) in Renminbi for every post. According to a report filed by the Propaganda Department of Anhui Province in 2006:
[…] Besides the basic monthly wage, the commentators will receive extra payment from each post, which is counted at RMB 50 cents.
Scale of Operations
While many specific details surrounding the state-official group, including its operational procedures and organizational structure, remain unknown, there have been a number of estimations as to the size of the workforce, which range from "tens of thousands" to as many as 300,000 workers across the country. In 2009, China's Ministry of Culture implemented a formal recruiting process for online commentators hired by the government, which includes an examination, regular training sessions and issuance of a job certification, while the Information Office began instructing every large-scale Chinese website to form a team of trained commentators. In May 2016, Harvard University researchers published a report titled "How the Chinese Government Fabricates Social Media Posts for Strategic Distraction, not Engaged Argument,"[13] which offers an in-depth profile of online activities and other propaganda campaigns undertaken by the Chinese government's "50 Cent Party" based on their analysis of state-official documents leaked from the Chinese government. Among other findings, the report estimates that the Chinese government fabricates about 448 million social media posts every year (or one in every 178 comments on Chinese social media sites).
Search Interest
External References
[1] Wikipedia – 50 Cent Party
[2] Huffington Post – China’s Fifty Cent Party for Internet Propaganda
[3] BBC – China's internet 'spin doctors'
[4] The Guardian – China joins a turf war
[5] Quartz – Hacked emails reveal China’s elaborate and absurd internet propaganda machine
[6] Reddit – How do I join the 50-cent-army?
[7] BoingBoing – Defector from Kremlin's outsourced troll army wins 1 rouble in damages
[8] Business Insider – China Banned The Term '50 Cents' To Stop Discussion Of An Orwellian Propaganda Program
[9] Gizmodo – We Finally Know What China’s Propaganda Army Does Online
[10] Epoch Times – How China’s ‘Fifty-Cent Army’ Manipulates Online Opinion
[11] Epoch Times – Leaked Emails Show Chinese Regime Employs 500,000 Internet Trolls
[12] GFW Blog – An Investigative Report Regarding Cultural Propaganda Work in Nanchang, Changsha, and Zhengzhou
[13] Harvard University – How the Chinese Government Fabricates Social Media Posts for Strategic Distraction, Not Engaged Argument
[14] China Digital Times – Chinese Bloggers on the History and Influence of the “Fifty Cent Party”
[15] China Digital Times – Leaked Propaganda Directives and Banned “Future”
[16] New York Times – As Chinese Students Go Online, Little Sister Is Watching&
[17] Sohu News – 宿迁26名网评员今上岗 (Chinese)
[18] Sichuan Provincial Government – 巴中市人事局采取四大措施加强网络舆情监控 (Chinese)
[19] About – The 50 Cent Party: China's Paid Internet Commenters
[20] Radio Free Asia – China to Train '50-Cent Army' in Online Propaganda
Top Comments
tman105
May 24, 2016 at 06:00PM EDT
Paulie DeMafia Mk2
May 24, 2016 at 07:24PM EDT