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| China's People's Daily launches attack on The New York Times | ||
| 2012-10-31 | ||
The 1,500 word People's Daily editorial appeared to be a direct response to The New York Times's explosive exposé last week about the $2.7 billion (£1.67 billion) "hidden fortune" of the family of Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao.
The Beijing-based People's Daily turned its canons on the 161-year-old newspaper on Monday, three days after The New York Times published the highly embarrassing results of its one-year investigation into Mr Wen's family's finances. "For a long time, the New York Times has [had] one line printed on its masthead, 'All the news that's fit to print'," noted the People's Daily opinion piece, under the headline: 'New York Times: scandals stack-up, prestige declines'. "This century-old newspaper claims its news is authentic and reliable, yet there have been quite a few [cases of] plagiarism and fake news in recent years," added the combative piece published on the website of a newspaper which is controlled, funded and censored by the Chinese government. "It turns out the New York Times has a history of faking news," the People's Daily went on, pointing to the damaging scandal surrounding reporter Jayson Blair, who resigned in 2003 after being accused of "frequent acts of journalistic fraud". Doug Young, a journalism professor at Shanghai's Fudan University, said that while the People's Daily had not directly referred to The New York Times' allegations about Mr Wen's family wealth, the editorial was a "clear response" from the Communist Party leadership. "It is the official Party newspaper [and] they are speaking on behalf of the Party," he said. "An editorial like that is basically their rebuttal even though they aren't giving The New York Times the pleasure of having their story mentioned." The People's Daily story was an attempt to "discredit" the western media, added Young, the author of a book on the Chinese media called 'The Party Line'. But the People's Daily and other state-controlled media outlets have themselves struggled with plagiarism in the past. In August, a reporter from its sister paper, the English-language Global Times, was sacked after being caught fabricating or copying a number of reports on the London Olympics. Among the plagiarised stories was a supposedly "exclusive interview" with London mayor Boris Johnson, which had been cribbed from one of Mr Johnson's Daily Telegraph columns. On Monday afternoon, meanwhile, it emerged that large chunks of the People's Daily article on The New York Times had been plagiarised from a variety of online sources. Several sections appeared to have been lifted word-for-word from China News Agency stories while other parts had been copied from previous articles in the People's Daily itself. Calls to the People's Daily HQ went unanswered on Monday afternoon. Users of China's Twitter-like microblog Weibo were unimpressed. "The domestic media is so entertaining," wrote one. "Plagiarism, faking, scandals stack-up -- all because [The New York Times] reported the unspeakable secret." | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #12 Tipper, the big problem I have with China is that its economy and current class system is based around the idea that a good credit rating springs from the barrel of a gun. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2012-10-31 17:18 |
| #11 I've got to admit that I'm conflicted about the wealth of Communist Party members. When I go to China I'm looked after very, very well by the Princlings of the ruling class, who do nothing to hide their wealth, the opposite in fact. The buggers also know my weaknesses,wine, women and exotic Chinese food. Thucydides: The strong do what they will, and the weak suffer what they must. Ancient (and genuine*) Chinese aphorism (paraphrased): History records winners as kings and losers as bandits. * As opposed to the fake "May you live in interesting times". |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2012-10-31 15:38 |
| #10 I've got to admit that I'm conflicted about the wealth of Communist Party members. When I go to China I'm looked after very, very well by the Princlings of the ruling class, who do nothing to hide their wealth, the opposite in fact. The buggers also know my weaknesses,wine, |
| Posted by: tipper 2012-10-31 11:45 |
| #9 I believe the Chinese People's Daily should receive the 2012 Leon Trotsky Ice Axe Award for best display of Intra-Party Discipline. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-10-31 10:09 |
| #8 Why am I thinking of the old saying: "It's a shame they both can't lose." |
| Posted by: BA 2012-10-31 08:33 |
| #7 Beat me to it g(r)om. That was my immediate reaction to the headline. Double butter anyone? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2012-10-31 08:30 |
| #6 "Red on Red" Rent-seekers of crony capitalism v people who haven't realised marxism always fails, is more accurate, but not as catchy. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2012-10-31 07:46 |
| #5 Red on Red |
| Posted by: Bunyip 2012-10-31 04:39 |
| #4 Popcorn |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2012-10-31 03:44 |
| #3 Perhaps more pragmatically, China PCorrectly may be getting ready for a shooting war soon vee Japan in the East China Sea, hence it may attempt to distance itself from Japan's ally the USA. China has sent its CMS vessels to Yonaguni near TAIWAN, indic to me that its interest in the area goes beyond the Daoyu/Senkkau Islands sovereignty dispute. * CHINA DAILY FORUM > CHINA WARNS OF RIGHT-WING SHIFT IN JAPAN. "Right-wing" also read, PRO-NUCLEAR WEAPONS. * SAME > CHINA'S DIAOYU ISLANDS CLAIMS NOT MOTIVATED BY RESOURCES. * SAME > CHINA TO USE FORCE IFF JAPAN CHALLENGES ITS SOVEREIGNTY. * TOPIX, DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > CHINA VESSELS CONFRONT JAPANESE COAST GUARD IN DISPUTED ISLAND WATERS | CHINA CONFRONTS JAPAN SHIPS NEAR EAST CHINA SEA ISLANDS. * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > CHINA TO RESPOND FORCEFULLY, IFF ITS SOVEREIGNTY IS CHALLENGED. * SAME > CHINA AGAIN SAYS NO CONCESSIONS ON TERRITORIAL SOVEREIGNTY. Chinese VFM Zhang Zhi. * SAME > CHINA'S GOOD MOVE ON THE DIAOYU ISLANDS. * SAME > SO WHAT IS CHINA DOING, DROPPING DRILLING DEVICES IN JAPANESE EEZ? * CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > JAPANESE SHIPS WERE TOLD TO IMMEDIATELY LEAVE CHINA'S TERRITORIAL WATERS. * SAME > CHINA FLEET TO CONTINUE PATROLLING DIAOYU WATERS. * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > SINO-JAPANESE RIFT IS PART OF US [post-WW2, anti-China] STRATEGY, SAYS EX-DIPLOMAT. * SAME > JAPAN'S POPULATION CRISIS | [Japan Times = Michael Hoffman]"ONLY IMMIGRANTS CAN SAVE JAPAN". THE JAPAN AS WE KNOW IT IS DOOMED - ONLY A [Ethnic = Immigrant] REVOLUTION CAN SAVE IT. Japan must accept 10.0Milyuhn immigrants a year between now and 2050. * SAME > HASHIMOTO'S PARTY TO END STATIONING OF US FORCES BY 2045: JAPAN. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-10-31 01:58 |
| #2 "The unspeakable secret" > Uh, uh, COMMIE ELITES LIKE TO BE rly rely really Really RREELLYY RICH??? OH THE EQUAL/EGALITARIAN-MANITY! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-10-31 01:33 |
| #1 Yes I believe it. They got that right. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2012-10-31 00:39 |