Hu Xijin on the Chinese government's (lack of) communication skills
"The Chinese government has never really learnt how to 'speak.' You see a lot of politically correct language, and too little self-criticism. Subjects like Wang Lijun are deemed too sensitive to even be touched upon. China is generally a country that does not too bad on the whole, and the hard results are out there. If something has happened, we should talk about. The more you refuse to talk about it, the more you shroud the matter in mystery. But when you choose to talk about it, people think, oh, it's just that. Society needs criticism all the time. The more the government criticizes itself, the less the public will criticize it. The more good news there is on official media, the more bad news and rumors there will be on Weibo. That's just how things balance up.
"When it comes to sensitive subjects, Chinese authorities are often forced to release information, and you rarely see them take a proactive approach. There is a huge expectation from the general public and a voracious appetite for such news, but the dribs and drabs they give us is barely able to satiate public hunger. They may serve as a gambit, but this gambit eventually only creates a massive snowball of suspicions and controversies."
「中国官方"说"的本事，一直没学好。套话多，自我批评少，遇王立军这样的事就敏感得不知怎么说。中国是总体上做得不错的国家，硬成绩摆在那里。遇事说事，不说挺神秘，说出来就那么回事。社会永远需要批评，官方自我批评多，舆论的批评就少。官媒多一条喜讯，微博上会多一条坏消息和谣言。这是平衡。
中国官方对敏感信息的披露大多是"被迫的"，经常"不主动"。往往是，社会对具体敏感事件的信息已经充满期待，胃口很高，而官方挤出来的那点信息根本不够舆论消费。它往往只够做个引子，围着它迅速滚出各种猜测和传言的巨大雪球。」