But if the last two characters of each line in the first headline are read together with the lower headline, what emerges seems more sinister, a possible lament for the fate of China’s journalists under the party’s tightening restraints:

“The media whose surname is party

Its soul returns to the sea.”

The usual mechanics of a suppressed political scandal have kicked into full gear, with the apparent “hidden poem,” a political tradition in China, coming at a time of ideological tension as the government expands its control. Tensions are also rising before the start of the annual National People’s Congress in Beijing this week.

Posts appeared on Weibo highlighting the possible insult but were quickly deleted. Conversation swelled, in private because of the sensitivity of the subject. Finally, there was an apparent accounting at the newspaper, with a notice detailing dismissals, self-criticisms and demotions of journalists.

On Tuesday, a notice purportedly from the Communist Party committee of the paper’s owner, Nanfang Media Group, acknowledging a “serious mistake,” began circulating online. Several reporters at the paper said that they had not received it, but one said that he had spotted the same, or a similar, one on the newspaper’s internal website that day but could not download it. The reporters asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals.

The notice being distributed online said that the juxtaposition of the front-page headlines was a blunder, not a conspiracy. It criticized “malicious” interpretations on social media.