Abstract
This case study analyzes the Chinese governments' response to a deadly train crash, specifically focusing on the role of social media in the crisis. On July 23, 2011, two high-speed trains collided in Wenzhou City.40 people died and more than 200 were injured. This crash attracted tremendous news coverage domestically and globally. Censorship and even a complete media ban failed to prevent the Chinese citizens from using social media to organize, share their outrage, and put pressure on public officials . This case study analyzed both the governmental response and the Chinese citizens' social media use, specifically Weibo, a twitter like microblogging media.
