Police have detained a television reporter for allegedly faking an investigative report on pork buns made with cardboard. The action comes as China is attempting to contain growing allegations that have hammered its reputation as a food and drug exporter.
Beijing Television apologized to viewers in an evening news broadcast for the fake bun report. "The reporter used deceptive means to get the footage on the air," said news anchor Wang Ye. "The Beijing Public Security Bureau has taken the criminal suspect, Zi, into custody and he will be beaten bloody severely dealt with according to the law." Xinhua News Agency said the suspect's full name was Zi Beijia.
Zi's footage appeared to show a makeshift kitchen where people made buns stuffed with 60 percent cardboard that had been softened in caustic soda and 40 percent fatty pork.
The police said Zi had told editors he wanted to investigate the quality of pork buns, and spent two weeks visiting stands but could not find anything to report. He filmed the fake report after coming under pressure to produce a story, Xinhua said.
Beijing Television said Zi brought meat, flour, cardboard and other ingredients to a downtown Beijing district, and had four migrant workers make the buns while he filmed the process.
The station said it was "profoundly sorry" for the fake report and its "vile impact on society" and vowed to prevent inaccurate news coverage in future.
| In a normal society, the response is to fire the guy and to make sure he never gets another job in the industry. In China they arrest you and beat you senseless. |
The news report - along with a spate of real food scares involving toxic fish, tainted pork and egg yolks colored with a cancer-causing dye - have harmed China's reputation as an exporter and alarmed people at home.
In a late development Wednesday, confectioner Guan Sheng Yuan said it sent samples of its "White Rabbit" milk candy for testing after it was listed among mainland products banned in the Philippines because of contamination with formaldehyde. "Absolutely at no point during the manufacturing of White Rabbit milk candy are preservatives added," the company said, adding that rivals have made counterfeit versions.
| It does, however, have enough LSD in it to make you think fondly of Grace Slick ... |
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