The PRC has active bureaucrats working in nearly every info company in the country. They are the Party's Cultural Representative and their word is law.
There is no equivalent in the USA, not even close.
Seems like a difference without distinction if the outcomes desired by the government are achieved through retired agents and a variety of pressure points.
The illusion of "average citizen control" is more common in USA population than China it seems, whether this control is real is debatable.
The current American government regularly issues proclamations that major news organizations are publishing fake news. It sure doesn't seem like they're achieving their desired outcomes there. Maybe that's not a fair comparison - have any major Chinese companies been able to say "yes, we understand Xi Jinping wants us to do X, but we think he's authoritarian and wrong so we won't do it"?
The PRC has active bureaucrats working in nearly every info company in the country. They are the Party's Cultural Representative and their word is law.
There is no equivalent in the USA, not even close.