Since the inauguration in 2012 of China’s seventh president, Xi Jinping, the country has witnessed a harder clampdown on the media both in print and online. While China is used to the ruling Communist Party’s oppressive control of information both in traditional media and online, Xi’s hardline attitude has been viewed as aggressive, signalling his intention to zealously pursue a policy of censorship shored up by propaganda.

But since the coronavirus reared its head at the end of last year, Xi’s attempts to control the narrative have seriously backfired. The death of coronavirus whistleblower Dr Li Wengliang has led to a backlash, uniting Chinese people against the government. Citizen journalism is spreading across the country, with people recounting their experiences on video and voicing their anger about the lack of information and transparency concerning the outbreak. Now the state is trying to control that backlash too. Paul Gardner examines what happens when a system puts social stability and party legitimacy above the public interest.

As anxiety mounts around the world at the impending and seemingly inevitable epidemic, Jo Daniels looks at how we can prevent fear spiralling out of control: stop the constant checking and stay social seems to be the best advice. Yet there has been an alarming rise in panic-buying and stockpiling of necessities like loo roll, leading to a rather flustered British health secretary appearing on television pleading for restraint among the public. Andy Yap implores the government to act decisively and communicate clearly to avoid further supermarket frenzies.

Elsewhere, new research has discovered that tropical rainforests are removing far less carbon dioxide than they used to. As trees suck colossal quantities of carbon out of the atmosphere, providing a crucial brake on the rate of climate change, is the planet in even more danger than we thought?

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