The government 's initial epidemic response has been attributed to the censorship tendencies of the Chinese press and internet , exacerbated by Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping 's crackdown on independent oversight ( journalism , social media , nongovernmental organizations , the legal profession ) that left senior officials with inaccurate information .
The government 's initial coronavirus pandemic response has been attributed to the censorship tendencies of the Chinese press and internet by Kristof .