cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/58365317
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When security camera footage emerged on Wednesday of a wave of ice, mud and water smashing into the Tibet region, people across the world were horrified.
The distressing vision showed the China-controlled Tibet border crossing into Nepal being completely wiped out, along with dozens of people running for their lives.
It was harrowing to watch and gave undeniable proof of the severity of the Himalayan border disaster.
Nepal flash floods updates: Follow this story as it unfolds with our live blog.
But inside China the online video disappeared as quickly as it surfaced. Beijing's censors were at work.
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China's control of information is well-documented and common, including inside Tibet, which has been under Beijing's control since the 1950s.
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China's media only distributes state-approved messages, content and pictures, while communication channels inside the country, including peoples' social media, are heavily monitored.
Content that does not follow strict government regulations can be restricted or deleted by a team of censors, or by AI algorithms that flag "problematic" content.
Chinese authorities have provided scant detail of the people affected by in the Tibet region, only broadly confirming that 558 people were missing, including 260 foreign nationals. There was no breakdown of nationalities.
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They have also not provided any specific information about the settlements and villages in the areas that have been affected.
The top news story on Thursday's prime time bulletin of the state-operated CCTV news was a piece on the launch of a new book by President Xi Jinping.
That story also led the front page of the country's most popular newspaper, People's Daily, on Friday.
At the bottom of the front page was an article about 800 metres of roads in the landslide-stricken areas having been reopened, with pictures of rescue teams.
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In Nepal, where a flash flood from the same disaster has killed hundreds and left hundreds more missing, the flow of information could not be more different.
Nepali authorities quickly released a detailed breakdown of suspected missing tourists, including their tour companies and their citizenship.
They have also provided rolling updates on the situation.
The humans at the heart of this catastrophe have been put at the centre of the story, given the opportunity to share their harrowing accounts and experiences.
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But the ability to hear from real people in Tibet is made near impossible due to China's reporting restrictions that block foreign journalists from independently travelling to the region.
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Activists group the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) says that means many people are too scared to post on social media or share news about the disaster because they fear punishment from Chinese officials.
The result, according to Ryan Fioresi from ICT, is a situation where "only the Chinese government controls the information flow".
"In a disaster situation that means that local residents, afraid of punishment, are not posting about where people are trapped or where the damage is the worst," he said.
"If people are afraid to share that information, or if their posts are removed, potentially useful information may not reach families, relief workers or the wider public."
Several smaller Chinese media outlets, which are also state media, were able to get to the site and initially published interviews with some witnesses.
But within hours those articles were taken down.
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China's tight control of information is not surprising but it can carry different ramifications in a disaster.
Because in an effort to restrict what is getting out, Beijing runs the risk of scrubbing the very real, and desperate, calls for help from affected communities.