Speech at a Meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China[1]

(March 11, 1942)

Our Party now has 800,000 members and a 500,000-strong army, but the Party newspaper is not run well. Since August last year we have begun the work of reforming the Party, but the Party newspaper has yet to undergo a thorough reform. This year the Central Committee must grasp the work of the three important departments: the Party School, the Party newspaper, and the Central Propaganda Department. The Party newspaper is a collective propagandist and organizer, exerts an extremely great influence both inside and outside the Party, and is the sharpest weapon. To achieve the goal of reforming the Party, we must first reform the work of the Party newspaper. Comrades in the newspaper office must understand the policy of reforming the Party through the Party newspaper; at present, comrades in the newspaper office do not understand this policy. The newspaper must be localized and must reflect local conditions. The Party newspaper must reflect the masses and carry out the Party’s policies. Party spirit is a science, the thorough manifestation of class character, and represents the interests of the Party; whatever the news, one must always consider whether it is beneficial to the Party. The Party newspaper must allow sympathizers to offer well-intentioned criticism.

[1] This is part of Mao Zedong’s speech during the discussion at the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the draft proposal put forward by Qin Bangxian for reforming *Liberation Daily*.