Finetuning the language of official releases

AN EXPLOSION IN SHANDONG Binyuan Chemical Co Ltd in Lijin county, East China's Shandong province, killed 13 people, some of whom were blown to bits. However, in a media release the local government said that "the relatives of the victims are in a good, stable mood", which is a common practice in official comments after a disaster. The sentence provoked nationwide criticism. Comments:

Who needs the families to be "in a good, stable mood"? Officials, of course, because they want to prevent a probe into the cause of the disaster and so hide their failure to follow the safety regulations. When the local government uses this notorious sentence, it is actually intended for their colleagues and superiors, instead of the public, which wants to know the truth.

Beijing News, Sept 7