China censors urge media to "stop hyping the story" on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's visit in the country. (Photo : Getty Images)
China defends Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg from netizens and members of the media who mocked his “rare” visit to the country.
On Tuesday, China Digital Times (CDT) shared leaked censorship instructions distributed to members of the press, saying that the media should control "malicious commentary" about the Facebook chief executive.
The instructions also urged the media to "stop hyping the story," referring to shared social media posts and memes that show Zuckerberg in a different light.
On Monday, Vanity Fair said the creator of one of the world's most popular social media platforms came to China to attend the China Development Forum.
Zuckerberg himself announced his arrival in China over Facebook Thursday last week by sharing an image of him jogging through Tiananmen Square.
"It's great to be back in Beijing! I kicked off my visit with a run through Tiananmen Square, past the Forbidden City and over to the Temple of Heaven," he wrote, adding something about accomplishing his 100th mile related to his Facebook group "A Year of Running."
During his stay in the country, Zuckerberg was able to meet with Communist Party Propaganda Chief Liu Yunshan on Saturday, something many deemed as an attempt to bring back Facebook in China after it was banned from the country in 2009.
Because of this, netizens scrutinized the social media mogul.
"How can you beat him up for kissing ass? He's a businessman. He wants to provide a service inside the Wall and make some money at it," a netizen cited by CDT said. "What's wrong with that? He hates the Wall, and he hasn't added a single brick to it. He just hasn't chosen to be a hero, but he hasn't done anything evil."
Others decided to transpose his shorts-clad image in another tableau to remind him of the violent crackdown in the same area where he jogged casually.
