The practice of calling good news “positive energy” and defining bad news as “negative energy” became routine in recent years. Likewise, the knee-jerk reaction from local authorities to suppress any unwanted story – whether it be an accident or a real protest.

But constantly sweeping problems under the carpet is not a sustainable position. Anyone who read China’s public reports or even social media posts last year about the country’s rigid Covid-19 controls would have been forgiven for thinking that most people were happy with the situation. Only by digging deeper would you have realised that public anger was bubbling up, with many demanding an end to draconian quarantines.

A related problem is the tendency for authorities, including the police and internet regulators, to act as the ultimate arbiters of “truth”, treating anything not in line with official narratives as “rumours” to be crushed.

When Dr. Li Wenliang raised the possibility of a potentially lethal outbreak of a pneumonia-like disease in Wuhan in late 2019, he was lectured by local police officers for “spreading rumours”. Moreover, local authorities – including Shanghai – at first denied “rumours” of lockdowns and punished those involved in passing on these “rumours” last year before imposing citywide lockdowns a few days later.

To bolster the drive towards greater “truth”, China’s media organisations should be granted more autonomy to do their job. A professional and vibrant media sector is important for a healthy society as they can reflect different views, go beyond vested interests and uncover wrongdoing.

In 1998, China’s then-premier Zhu Rongji, encouraged a prime time television programme carried by state media CCTV to uncover government wrongdoing, making the programme a must-watch for those who cared about the country’s progress.

In 2003, an expose by the Southern Metropolitan Daily of the death of migrant worker Sun Zhigang due to physical abuse while being detained, triggered a public outcry. The government later abolished its nationwide “custody and repatriation” system, saving hundreds of millions of Chinese migrant workers from the fear of being thrown into custody.

It is unfortunate that the space for independent media coverage of events on the mainland has shrunk, as this will impact society. The lack of “trustworthy” voices and independent reporting has contributed to a boom in fake news and disinformation. In turn, the state has had to conduct repeated crackdowns on online misinformation in an endless “cat-and-mouse” game.

The new fact-finding campaign, aimed at gathering a more realistic picture of life on the ground, is a good chance to change direction. In a culture where differences of opinion are discouraged, few people will talk directly and honestly.

For example, no one was able to publicly question the zero Covid-19 approach in 2022 after authorities declared a war against comments or acts that “distorted, doubted or negated” the policy. Those brave or stupid enough to complain were quickly hushed up or even thrown behind bars.

Now that Beijing is seeking people’s voices and more “truths”, a good place to start would be to reverse current practice. Local authority actions to cover up bad news should now be labelled as “negative energy” whereas efforts to support independent fact-finding and constructive criticism should be called “positive energy”.

In other words, government policy should encourage honesty and punish dishonesty, not the other way around.