blications of
the mass organizations. Since all government officials are members of
the Party or its front organization, the Democratic Front, and since the
mass organizations are dominated by Party members, Party supervision of
all publications is assured. Radio broadcasters, film directors and
editors, administrators and editors of the publishing houses,
journalists, and newspaper editors are also Party members.

Thus all individuals who work with the mass media, either directly or
indirectly, are subject to Party discipline. Failure to adhere to
directives from the Politburo is a crime against the Party, and
punishment for such crimes can be severe (see ch. 6, Government
Structure and Political System).

To supplement the formal media of communication, there are about 25,000
Party agitators who propagandize among the masses. These agitators work
in factories, villages, neighborhoods, and on farms with the objective
of bringing the Party line to every individual. Besides explaining the
content of the press and radio to the people, the agitators conduct
courses, present lectures, and guide discussions on Party history, the
oppressiveness of religion, friendship with Communist China, Soviet
revisionism, and other such topics. For example, in the weekly meetings
held for women, emphasis is placed upon how religion causes
discrimination against them.

In the factories the agitators explain the Party line to their coworkers
and rally them to compete to outproduce each other, a practice called
socialist competition. Agitators in rural areas are usually of peasant
origin and consequently are better able to gain the trust of the
peasantry. They explain the Party line to them in a manner that is
relevant to local conditions and mobilize them to produce their quotas.

The agitators also sponsor cultural and sports activities, such as
organizing trips to museums and arranging for athletic events. When new
laws are passed, the agitators explain them to the masses in terms that
they will understand. Before elections the agitators mobilize the people
to go out and vote, even though there is only one candidate on the
ballot.

To aid the agitators in their work, the _Agitators' Notebook_ is
published monthly listing the various points of the Party line which do
change from time to time. The agitators also have books, pamphlets,
pictures, and films to facilitate the indoctrination of the masses. In
addition to the activities of