Internet Discourse on Media Coverage of Taishi Village
Interfax China: "China has this week seen a controversial report by a foreign journalist turn into an international Internet event, leading to criticism by Chinese officials and bringing into focus the role of bloggers in reporting China's fraught reform process."
What happened was this:
It also lead to some heated discussions on the role, responsibilities and ethics of foriegn reporters in China.
Update: The Guardian has published a review by on the "mistakes made by a reporter under pressure."
What happened was this:
"In the early hours of Sunday, October 9, a number of Hong Kong-based bloggers revealed that a foreign journalist had been beaten "nearly to death". Reports then claimed that eyewitnesses saw him fleeing the scene of the attack. Original reports appeared on the anti-government Boxun.com, which is blocked in mainland China but remains accessible via proxy servers.
Responding to these initial reports early on Sunday, Interfax reported that a Guardian journalist, Benjamin Joffe-Walt, had been beaten, and that a Chinese citizen accompanying the reporter, had been killed. On Monday, an article was published by The Guardian from its reporter describing the horrific beating of Lu Bangjie, with readers led to assume that Lu was dead.
But bloggers, some of whom claimed to be Chinese reporters, as well as several well-known media figures in Hong Kong writing on the Inmediahk discussion boards (again blocked on the mainland), were beginning to report that Lu was still alive, and it soon emerged that although he was injured, his overall health was not in danger. Interfax issued a correction
Denunciations of Joffe-Walt began to appear almost immediately in the Chinese blogosphere. Foreign reporters were accused of treating Chinese people "like dogs" by placing their assistants in dangerous situations. Once Joffe-Walt's initial report was found to exaggerate the injuries suffered by Lu, an avalanche of criticism fell upon the journalist on Chinese Internet sites. Focusing on the role of Joffe-Walt, the attacks were expanded to include denunciations of his media outlet, the Guardian newspaper."
It also lead to some heated discussions on the role, responsibilities and ethics of foriegn reporters in China.
Update: The Guardian has published a review by on the "mistakes made by a reporter under pressure."
