On September 18, 2016, Radio Free Asia (RFA) removed the name of blogger Kami from its blog platform and deleted Kami's post dated September 13, 2016. The following day, RFA also removed Kami's posts from September 10 and September 18. The apparent break appears tied to the September 13 article.
That article, titled "Discussing the Wind Trader (NBG) and the Awareness of Democracy Supporters," criticized blogger NBG while also taking aim at the broader pro-democracy movement in Vietnam. Whether the criticism was inadvertent or deliberate, the post appears to have crossed a line for RFA's editorial team.
The "40/60" Propaganda Technique
The original report drew attention to what it described as RFA's use of psychological warfare methods — specifically the "40/60" propaganda technique. Under this approach, roughly 40% of content presents factual or credible-sounding material to build trust, while the remaining 60% carries the intended persuasive or manipulative message. The Kami incident was framed as a rare moment when internal tensions within that editorial machinery became visible to outside observers.
Kami's Critique of the Movement
Kami's writing had previously targeted other bloggers and questioned the coherence of democratic activism in Vietnam. The September 13 post reportedly went further, challenging the motives and awareness of those who support the democracy movement — a stance that may have put Kami at odds with RFA's editorial direction and led to the removal.
"Ngày 18-9-2016 RFA xóa tên blogger Kami trong Blog của RFA, đồng thời xóa bài viết ngày 13-9-2016 của Kami."
The incident raised questions among Vietnamese-language bloggers about editorial independence at externally funded media outlets and the boundaries of acceptable criticism within activist circles.