MCLC: Renmin ribao database censorship?

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Renmin ribao database censorship?
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A list member, who wishes to remain anonymous, has asked me to post the
following. 

Kirk 

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On Friday (Feb. 24, 2012), I attempted a search of my university's
library-subscribed, full-text-searchable database of Renmin ribao
(People's Daily), provided to us by OriProbe Information Services. The
term I was searching for was "xinao" (洗脑, brainwashing). Although the
search produced a list of results, each time I clicked on an article title
or attempted to navigate to another page of results, I lost my connection.
At first I thought that the OriProbe site was simply experiencing
technical difficulties. However, subsequent searches using other terms
proceeded smoothly. Suspicious, I began testing the database with a
variety of searches, some politically sensitive and some not. Searches for
"Falungong" and "June 4" (六四) consistently resulted in terminated
connections; searches for other terms (e.g., "very good," "labor," "class
struggle," and "newspaper") were fine. I have been checking repeatedly all
weekend, and as of this afternoon (Mon., Feb. 27) the problem remains.

I have alerted the East Asia librarian at my university and have begun
spreading the word to others in the field. China scholars may not have
much power to change the PRC state's practice of Internet censorship
within China, but we should have some influence over the policies
governing the very expensive databases to which our libraries subscribe.
If your library subscribes to this or other databases (Duxiu, for example,
seems to have the same problem), would you please run some test searches
and then inform your librarian of any restrictions you face? (Please note
that the search may at first seem to have run properly; make sure to
follow through by clicking on an article title.)