A directive from the General Political Department to political departments and political commissars at all levels of the Red Army, Soviets at all levels in local areas, and all mass organizations: The *Current Events Bulletin* is an important tool in Soviet areas for raising the masses' fighting spirit and breaking down their conservative attitudes. In newly contested areas, it plays an even greater role in driving mass struggles.
Therefore, this Department has decided that the Red Army and local governments should universally organize its production.
To meet this need, the significance of producing the *Current Events Bulletin*, its content, and its methods of compilation are set forth in a small booklet appended below and distributed to all localities.
Upon receiving this directive and the booklet, the political departments at all levels of the Red Army and the cultural departments of local Soviets at all levels should immediately plan and initiate its production.
The *Red Army News* published by this Department can supply some material for the *Current Events Bulletin*. In addition to distribution to the Red Army, starting in the near future, 220 copies of each issue (published every three days) will be sent to the Cultural Department of the Jiangxi Provincial Soviet, which will then forward them to the county Soviets and district Soviets.
It is expected that each district Soviet will receive approximately one copy. If any county Soviet or district Soviet does not receive it, they should promptly write to the Provincial Soviet to request it.
Mao Zedong
Director, General Political Department
Central Revolutionary Military Commission
March 14, 1931, at Huangpi

II
How to Produce the *Current Events Bulletin*
(1) Producing the *Current Events Bulletin* in red areas raises the masses' fighting spirit and breaks down their conservative attitudes.
In the countryside, small market towns, and small cities, there are no newspapers to read.
The struggling masses, both before and after the revolution, are not very different when it comes to being poorly informed and having a narrow range of knowledge and experience.
The phenomenon of "a frog in a well jumping only within the well" still persists among the masses.
Comrades, this phenomenon is not good. It leads the masses to lower their enthusiasm for struggle and steers them toward a conservative state. This conflicts with the task of expanding the struggle and winning nationwide victory. Diligently eliminating this phenomenon is the responsibility of the Soviets and mass organizations. Methods such as representative assemblies, mass meetings, roving speeches, and group visits are all good, but producing the *Current Events Bulletin* is an even better method.

(2) In newly contested areas, use the *Current Events Bulletin* to drive mass struggles.
In those newly contested places, the *Current Events Bulletin* plays an even greater role. When the Red Army occupies a new area and guides the masses to rise up and struggle—attacking local tyrants, dividing land, distributing grain, canceling debts, forming guerrilla units, and establishing Soviets—while the masses in that place rise to carry out these struggles, they battle on one hand, yet constantly harbor a doubt: Are we not isolated? Will our struggle fail? When the revolutionary masses harbor such doubts, it is precisely the time when hidden reactionary elements spread rumors and threats. At such moments, what the revolutionary masses most eagerly desire is the support of the revolutionary Red Army from near and far. It is then that the *Current Events Bulletin* comes forward to answer this question for them. I remember that in March of last year (1930), when the Red Army occupied Dayu, a *Current Events Bulletin* was put out and posted in a pavilion on a large wooden bridge, drawing continuous streams of people to come and read. Many people stared at the paper and read it aloud, filling the entire bridge with a buoyant and joyful atmosphere. Dayu is one example. In the past, the Red Army used this method as a tool to mobilize the masses and achieved considerable results in some places. It is a great shortcoming, however, that it was not done universally, nor was it done regularly.

(3) Content and methods of compilation for the *Current Events Bulletin*.
1. The *Current Events Bulletin* is not printed but handwritten, not in small characters but in large ones, and not on small sheets of paper but on large sheets.
2. The *Current Events Bulletin* does not publish essays; it only carries news. The news carried includes: (1) News about masses forming poor peasant associations and the struggle to eliminate landlords (attacking local tyrants, dividing land, capturing members of the AB Corps, arming the people, expanding red areas—such as ten head of cattle dying of plague in Village A, or Village B having no salt or vegetables to eat); (2) Soviet activities (convening a representative assembly, issuing important proclamations, etc.); (3) Red Army activities (battle victories, helping the masses divide land, etc.—but military secrets such as the Red Army’s troop strength, firearms, organization, movements, and unit designations must not be published to prevent leaks); (4) The situation of the ruling class (warlord conflicts, etc.).
3. This is not to say that no commentary is offered at all. A sentence or two of commentary may be inserted into a news item to help readers understand the significance of the matter. But do not insert too much; three sentences of commentary in one news item already feels excessive. Insert commentary in a forceful way—wishy-washy commentary is worse than none at all. Do not insert commentary into every single item. The meaning of many news items is already clear at a glance; to add commentary would be like drawing legs on a snake. Only those news items whose meaning is not obvious should have a sentence or two of commentary inserted.
4. The order in which news is published: news of one’s own township, then one’s district, one’s county, one’s province, the nation, and foreign countries—moving from near to far. This makes for very enjoyable reading.
5. Local *Current Events Bulletins* should be written entirely in the local patois. News items copied from newspapers elsewhere that are not in colloquial language must have their original text completely rewritten. For the Red Army’s *Current Events Bulletins*, if local patois cannot be written, extremely plain Mandarin must be used.
6. For the *Current Events Bulletin*, material concerning local and nearby areas is very easy to gather; material concerning distant places, the nation, and the international community should be taken from the *Red Army News* published by the General Political Department or from other newspapers.
7. Both the writing and the material must be agitational in nature.
8. However, lying is strictly forbidden. For example, saying the Red Army captured one thousand rifles when it was really ten thousand, or that the White Army originally had ten thousand but saying it had only one thousand. Such statements that stray too far from the facts are harmful. The *Current Events Bulletin* does not depend on lies for its existence.
9. The *Current Events Bulletin* should be issued one sheet every three days, ten sheets a month. In places where the struggle is intense, it may be issued one sheet per day.
10. Methods of editing. The Cultural Department of the County Soviet designates one person specifically to compile a draft every three days. The news on the draft covers the county itself, neighboring counties, the nation, and the international scene. But it is not necessary to have every type of news in each issue. Some issues may have more news from the county itself, others more from neighboring counties. The most important parts are the news from the county itself and neighboring counties, because these are what the masses welcome. One or two items per issue are enough for provincial and national news; international news can be published as one item every few issues. Such news cannot be absent; without it, the masses cannot be guided to participate in the broader struggle. Therefore it must be included, but it must by no means be excessive. If there is too much, first, it takes up space and reduces the column space for important local and nearby news; second, this type of news lacks appeal and is not easily understood by the masses. After the *Current Events Bulletin* editor of the County Soviet Cultural Department has finished compiling the draft for a given issue, based on the number of district Soviets, one copy of the draft is transcribed and sent to the cultural commissar of each district Soviet. After the district Soviet cultural commissar receives the draft from the County Soviet Cultural Department, he adds to it the news of his own district. This section of news occupies the most important position in the *Current Events Bulletin*, for without it, the bulletin would lack its central content, and thus could never attract the attention of the masses or achieve the effect that the *Current Events Bulletin* is meant to achieve. After the district Soviet cultural commissar has added the district’s news, based on the number of township Soviets in the entire district, one copy of the complete draft is transcribed and sent to each township Soviet. After the township Soviet cultural commissar receives the draft from the district Soviet, he further adds to it the news of his own township. This section of news is also important; its main significance lies in arousing interest in reading the bulletin. Only at this point is the entire draft considered complete. Based on the number of villages in the township, one sheet is prepared for each village. It is written in large characters on large paper, with red circles and dots added as markup and the publication date written on it. People are sent to post it in conspicuous places in every village for the masses to see. Only at this point is it called a newspaper. What is written at the county and district levels of the Cultural Department is not yet a newspaper, but only the draft for it. The effectiveness of this method is very great. Suppose a county has one hundred townships and one thousand villages; every three days, the masses in all hundred townships and thousand villages of the county get to see the *Current Events Bulletin*. This bulletin can also serve as material for the literacy movement. The head of the village literacy group can explain things to those who are illiterate, so they both read the bulletin and learn to read. This is truly an excellent method.
11. A rough distribution of the number of news items. For example, if one issue of the *Current Events Bulletin* has eight news items, then the County Soviet’s draft provides four items (of which two are from the county itself, one from a neighboring county, and one domestic/international item), the District Soviet adds three items, and the Township Soviet adds one item, making eight in total. Each item must not exceed forty characters, and each issue must not exceed four hundred characters.
12. When the Red Army is dispersed and doing mass work, the primary purpose of compiling the *Current Events Bulletin* is to let the masses read it. This is a powerful weapon for mobilizing the masses. We must not, as in the past, have some units completely ignore this method and pay no attention to compiling the *Current Events Bulletin*, while others compile one issue here and skip one there, doing it intermittently. Both approaches are wrong. When the Red Army disperses to do mass work, it must compile the *Current Events Bulletin* systematically for the masses to read. At the same time, it is also important to post several extra copies of the compiled bulletin in the encampment areas of each mess unit for the soldiers to read. When the Red Army is concentrated in garrison, the primary purpose of compiling the *Current Events Bulletin* is to let the soldiers read it, but it is also necessary to post several extra copies for the local masses to see.
13. When the Red Army compiles the *Current Events Bulletin* while dispersed for mass work, the Army Political Department compiles an initial draft and sends it to the divisions. The Division Political Department or political commissar adds local news and news of the division’s own activities, then sends it to the regiments. The Regimental Political Commissar adds local news and news of the regiment’s activities, then sends it to the companies (all of the above are drafts). The Company Political Commissar designates the clerk, duty sergeant, and others who can write to prepare final copies in large characters on large paper, based on the number of villages in the locality, with red circles and dots added as markup and the publication date noted—one sheet per village. Propagandists are dispatched to post them in conspicuous places for the masses to read. At the same time, one sheet is kept and posted in the encampment area. The company’s literacy movement committee directs literacy groups to guide groups of soldiers to read it. When the Red Army is concentrated in garrison for training, since the main purpose of the *Current Events Bulletin* is to let soldiers read it, when the Propaganda Section of the Army Political Department compiles the draft, apart from including news of local struggles, domestic and international political news (one to two items), and news of friendly forces (one to two items), the most important thing is to include news about the army itself (one to three items). Once compiled, it is sent to the divisions. The divisions add news about themselves (one to two items) and send it to the regiments. The regiments add news about themselves (one to two items). The Regimental Political Commissar directs the propaganda team and the regimental headquarters clerk to prepare final copies in large characters on large paper, according to the number of companies, with one sheet for each company, and sends them to the companies, guiding the soldiers to read them. The maximum number of items per issue of the *Current Events Bulletin* is ten, and the maximum number of characters is four hundred.
14. In the *Current Events Bulletin* compiled by the Red Army, domestic and international news should be scarce, accounting for only three-tenths of the content, while news about the army itself, local areas, and nearby areas should be plentiful, accounting for seven-tenths. Only in this way can the soldiers’ and the masses’ interest in reading the bulletin be aroused, achieving the effect we aim for.
15. The news in the *Current Events Bulletin*, especially local and nearby news, must be closely connected with the lives of the masses. For instance, cattle plague, crop failures, rice shortages, salt scarcities, the Pacification Corps, the Red Guards, AB Corps rumors, Communist Party meetings, and so forth are all closely linked to the masses’ lives, and the masses will surely enjoy reading about them. Anything that is not of pressing concern should not be published.
16. The *Current Events Bulletin* must be written on large sheets of paper and in large characters; mimeographed ones are unacceptable. Right now, the *Red Army News* published by the General Political Department, the newspapers issued by provincial, county, and even district Soviets, and the newspapers put out by various armies and divisions—all are small-character printed products. No matter how their intent is arranged to have them read by the masses or soldiers, in reality, only cadres can understand them (many low-level worker and peasant cadres still cannot understand them). Therefore, one must absolutely not use these newspapers as a substitute for the *Current Events Bulletin*. The *Current Events Bulletin*, with its very large black-ink characters and a sparse layout of seven or eight items, looks lucid and clear at a glance, and after reading, one feels refreshed and satisfied. It is a true publication for the masses.

March 12, 1931
General Political Department
Central Revolutionary Military Commission
At Huangpi

Published according to *Selected Works of Mao Zedong on Journalism* (Xinhua Publishing House, 1983).

Notes
[1] This comprises the directive and booklet on universally producing the *Current Events Bulletin* in red areas written by Mao Zedong for the General Political Department of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission. The titles printed in bold within the text were added by the editor.
[2] For county Soviet and district Soviet, see p. 244, n. 5 of this volume (reference to a specific edition).
[3] AB Corps: see p. 258, n. 3 of this volume (reference to a specific edition).
[4] The Pacification Corps was a type of reactionary local armed force.
[5] The Red Guards were mass armed organizations in the revolutionary base areas that did not leave production.