The New York Times is at it again. For some recent expositions of their nutty ‘journalism’, make sure to also read:
1. “Fact Checking NYT’s Qi Chonghuai Jailed Journalist Story”
2. “‘Catching Scent of Revolution, China Moves to Snip Jasmine’ – Retarded Government or Retarded NYT?”
This time the NYT reporter, Andrew Jacobs, lies about a Chinese journalist being detained by Chinese police. How do we know? In fact, the journalist has come out to say that he wasn’t and that the NYT didn’t even interview him. Below is the NYT article and I show what a propaganda garbage it is. Read on.
| Journalist Is Detained in China for Article on Sex Slaves
By ANDREW JACOBS Published: September 23, 2011 |
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| BEIJING — For a nation not yet inured to lurid and senseless crime, a report that a former civil servant in central China kept six women enslaved in an underground bunker — and that he killed two of them — was shocking enough. | |
| But perhaps almost as disturbing, at least to some readers, was that the journalist who exposed the crime more than two weeks after the suspect’s arrest was detained by security agents who accused him of revealing state secrets. | Ji Xuguang, has stated in his microblog that he was not detained, and NYT was mistaken:
纪许光: |
| After his release from questioning on Thursday, the reporter, Ji Xuguang, wrote an article that accused the authorities of trying to keep the public in the dark about a heinous crime that unfolded less than two miles from the city’s public security bureau. | This narrative is a lie. If one can read Chinese, the article actually had these two paragraphs at the end:
“昨日上午开始，不断有媒体打电话到办公室，要求采访。到了下午，甚至有媒体直接上门，但因为案情重大，局内部经研究，还是婉拒了媒体采访的要求。”洛阳市公安局一名工作人员说。 对此，著名社会学者刘培福昨天在接受南都记者采访时表示，警方侦破案件后，当地应披露相关信息，以免引发民众无谓猜测。 |
| “I was only thinking about how to make my story as accurate as possible and to satisfy the public’s right to know, but I soon discovered that I failed to address the most important issue — face,” wrote Mr. Ji, a reporter for Southern Metropolis Daily, one of the country’s most aggressively independent publications. “Before the truth becomes a state secret, the public and myself need answers.” | The English translation is as follows:
“Since yesterday morning, media has been calling the office (police) constantly for interviews. Until afternoon, media have even showed up at the door, but due to the severity of the case and ongoing investigations, interviews were declined.” – a staff member of the Luoyang City Public Security Bureau said. In this regard, the famous sociologist, LIU Peifu, in an interview yesterday, told Southern Metropolis Daily reporters after the police have cracked the case, the local information should be disclosed, so as not to cause unnecessary public speculation. |
| Still, much of the national media on Friday were mesmerized by the horrifying details of the case, which took place in the city of Luoyang, in Henan Province.
According to Mr. Ji’s account, the suspect, Li Hao, 34, kidnapped the women, ages 16 to 24, from the karaoke parlors where they worked and imprisoned them in a 215-square-foot dungeon he dug beneath a rented basement space. Over the course of two years, Mr. Li repeatedly forced the women to have sex with him, Mr. Ji said. According to a police official who provided details to Mr. Ji, the suspect kept his captives perpetually starved so they would have little energy for escape, but he also gave them two computers on which they could “kill time” by watching movies and playing games. Mr. Li, who is married with an infant son, lived elsewhere in the city. Mr. Li’s arrest came on Sept. 6, when one of the women escaped and found her way to the police. Mr. Ji said the rescued women were still in police custody on suspicion that they had a hand in the murders of the two women. In his posting on Friday, Mr. Ji said he stumbled upon the story this week after spending a few days in Luoyang to investigate the murder of a local television reporter. In his follow-up article, he said his questioners deemed the case a state secret because, he later learned, they feared that its revelation might tarnish Luoyang’s quest to become a “Civilized City” as part of a national competition. |
As to the rest of Andrew Jacobs’ article? Well, it seems NYT is certainly interested in the “lurid” and “senseless crime” details. I really don’t have any issue with that.
What Ji Xuguang said from the get go, was two men who did not identify themselves had questioned him about the source of his article at his hotel. He only suspected they were policemen and became weary of possible detention (but he was never detained, see above): 昨日上午，在我入住的酒店内，两名始终没有”亮证”的男子近乎粗暴地对我连发质问 纪许光在自己的微博上发帖，在其入住的酒店内遭到质问“‘洛阳性奴’”的稿子是谁向他报的料。同时，还指出他侵犯了“国家机密”。他在微博上求救：“看架势，稍后恐被带走。 After Ji microblogged for help from netters, the Louyang police department responded with offer of protection and asked him to file a complaint against the two men, who apparently are not policemen: 平安洛阳: In the end Ji Xuguang actually thanked the Louyang police: 纪许光认为，“网友们应该感谢洛阳警方”， 他解释说，洛阳警方在此次事件的职责”只是侦破案件，他们也不是试图掩盖事件的人”。
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raventhorn2000 says
Andrew Jacobs will just plead ignorance as defense.
All too repeated pattern of wild speculations in projectile vomit reporting, and then “at least admits” his errors.
And of course, blame the Chinese government for “non-transparency” for his own mistakes.
-the classic conspiracy nut defense. Yes, even if UFO nuts are wrong, it’s all the US government’s fault for the coverup that cause the crazies.
YinYang says
The NYT won’t have the honesty to correct their story. This type of propaganda is what they want to narrate.
raventhorn2000 says
yep, typical pattern we see quite often from “Democracy” Apologists.
Charles Liu says
I can understand why the police wouldn’t publish everything about the case right away.
Even in America some crime investigation are conducted under wraps, especially sexually based crime. For example the Jeanbenet Ramsey’s murder case, parts of the investigation remain sealed to this day.
raventhorn2000 says
At least this guy actually admits an unspoken truth, while harping the China threat:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-innovations/what-we-really-need-to-fear-about-china/2011/09/14/gIQAPrMy0K_story.html
“…The Chinese have learned to play the same games that American tech companies and patent trolls do: Use patents to extort licensing fees from other industry players.”
Translation: The Chinese are cheating BETTER than we did!!! (Oh, did I just let the cat out of the bag??)
LOL!!
Well, I agree, and I said this way back that the Patent system was a gamed system used by the big corporations.
Arturo8 says
Jacobs and his beloved reputation are going to get burnt over this kind of BS one day. I think it’s getting closer. HEre’s a different angle on the same story and the problem pointed out here:
http://uncut.indexoncensorship.org/2011/09/detained-reporter-refutes-new-york-times-article/
raventhorn2000 says
I love his word spin on “detained”.
I think I need to revive my own spin news posts.
I have a headline:
NYT Reporter DETAINED by His Own Word Definitions (IE. He Can’t WALK AWAY from it!)
LOL!!!
raventhorn2000 says
And in other news, Obama is DETAINED by the White House.
MILLIONS Of Americans are DETAINED by their Employers, for at least 8 hours per day.
🙂
YinYang says
China Daily has this story out:
raventhorn2000 says
I guess it doesn’t matter now.
Chinese Police aren’t fast enough to beat NYT clock, or the ChinaGeek clock.
Oh, I have a new phrase for this: “Democracy Overclocking”, because nobody is faster than the Overclockers, when they only need to benchmark to their own systems.
Charles Liu says
Here’s another POV:
http://the-diplomat.com/2011/09/30/one-chinese-city%E2%80%99s-pr-nightmare/
“I’m surprised to see Ji’s story being reported as another example of the Chinese state cracking down on the freedom of speech, and the efforts to intimidate him being misreported in English as detention or even jail time.”
Charles Liu says
Here’re couple netter comments in response to Ji’s rebuttal:
http://weibo.com/1710546672/xpOq35BfI
看看纽约时报的嘴脸，记得当年学生事件时他们就谎称邓小平逝世。唯恐中国不乱
Look at NYT, I remember during the student protest they spread rumor that Deng had passed away. They want China to be Chaotic
新闻报道应以事实为拒，客观报道。如为吸引眼球而故意夸大，则有违职业道德。例：该案嫌疑人的身份从雇员被夸大为公务员，泄露案卷秘密被夸大为泄露国家机密
Facts on the case has been objectively reported. But to attract eyeballs, exaggerations were made contrary to professionalism and morality. For example: the suspect employment status exaggerated to public servant, leaking case detail exaggerated to leaking state secret
raventhorn2000 says
Another defense mechanism of Jacobs (which is also shared by ChinaGeek): ACT “surprised” when caught!
“Oh, you thought I meant “arrested” when I wrote “detained”?? You foolish man, why would you think that?”
“Oh, I was surprised to be linked by other websites on this story. Because I was only repeating what Jacobs wrote, and implying/speculating/assuming/inferring by connecting imaginary dots based upon Jacobs’ story. Why would you think that I had anything to do with supporting Jacobs’ position?”
raventhorn2000 says
To journalists writing on “land seizure in China”:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/opinion/24fri1.html
Stevens says
Raventhorn2 –
Here we’re having a discussion about Jacobs’ sloppy reporting and you change the subject? What gives?
Well, in any case, I think you should probably wait for a land seizure post. And, when you do, I’d strongly encourage you to read up further on the New London case. After the decision was issued, citizen pressure forced the most widespread changes to eminent domain law in modern history. In effect, as a result of New London, it’s pretty much impossible for a local government to do what New London did. I suggest you find another example. This one makes China look bad, ie US citizens were able to force widescale changes to an unjust law.
raventhorn2000 says
@Stevens
In any case, none of the new US laws after the Kelo v. New London cases were Constitutional Amendments. Thus, leaving the door open for Federal AND State government to exercise eminent domain (if they chose to pass another set of laws).
” it’s pretty much impossible for a local government to do what New London did”. But the State AND the Federal government can still do it.
China also passed its “property law” reforms, but that doesn’t mean that the government can’t go back and set a new law or directive.
(not to say either side is looking “bad” or good).
*The point was, NYT came out applauding the decision of Kelo v. New London, despite all the EXISTING notions of “property rights” in US.
And frankly, PEOPLE in US just didn’t know about their “legal rights” in modern history in US. (Forcing them to change it, and yet didn’t change much).
All the outrage, signifying very little. All those State “law” changes, meaning what?
Here is another case AFTER the supposedly passing of such laws.
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/pi/47483262.html
“Citizen pressure” released, problem solved, right??
Charles Liu says
@raventhorn2000
Maybe it has something to do with Jacobs neglecting to fact check in his article on land seisure?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/world/asia/land-dispute-stirs-riots-in-southern-china.html
What really bothered me, again, is Jacobs’ agenda. This is “advocacy journalism” at its worst. There’s absolutely no balance, or even substance in reporting the particullars of the riot, seemingly to only reenforce a POV and narrative about China.
I mean, even true, does economic dispute justify the violence? In America it does not. Recently violent labor dispute broke out in Longview WA. The violence was deemed illegal and many were arrested. See for yourselves:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Longshoreman%20Longview%20Cowlitz%20county%20sheriff&tbm=isch&start=71
And what really happening at Lufeng/陆丰? According to local report, the riot was caused by a false rumor that the police had beaten a child to death:
http://www.s1979.com/news/china/201109/2418178424.shtml
scl says
“BEIJING — For a nation not yet inured to lurid and senseless crime, a report that a former civil servant in central China kept six women enslaved in an underground bunker — and that he killed two of them — was shocking enough.
***But perhaps almost as disturbing, at least to some readers,*** was that the journalist who exposed the crime more than two weeks after the suspect’s arrest was detained by security agents who accused him of revealing state secrets.”
Tricky Jacob really played the word game with his readers. He knew very well “detained” meat “arrested”, because if the crime was “revealing state secret”, only “arrested” made sense, and it would indeed be disturbing. But since he made blatant lies in his article, this is just a minor issue.
raventhorn2000 says
“But perhaps almost as disturbing, at least to some readers,” was NYPD’s pepper spraying of peaceful protesters, and citizen “journalists”.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/sep/28/occupy-wall-street-anthony-bologna?newsfeed=true
raventhorn2000 says
Anti-Wall Street Protests expand in US, drawing sympathies in other nations.
But really, isn’t it rather like the European anti-Austerity protests but a little late?
Bottomline, the poor (especially poor students) across many Western nations are getting fed up with the Corporation influenced “Democracies”.
pug_ster says
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/MJ05Ad01.html
Reason #8923 why US sticks its nose in China’s business. This time, trying to make Hong Kong independent from China.
C. Custer says
Why don’t you just link them to what I actually wrote? Or copy paste that comment — the whole comment?
raventhorn2000 says
@C. Custer
Well, because I don’t get paid to do your linking for you, and I get to infer whatever I want from what other people write. 🙂 LOL!
Charles Liu says
Again, Custer doesn’t give a wow about the fact NYT’s supposed victim tweeted “NYT was mistaken”:
http://weibo.com/1710546672/xpOq35BfI
Here’s the photo Ji initially posted that led to Andrew Jacobs to conclude Ji was detained:
http://weibo.com/1710546672/xpkSU4sGv
Ji was good 20-30 fee away, and the two men look like they are sitting there humming a ditty.
raventhorn2000 says
@Charles Liu
That’s right, his motto: Spreading of Errors is Free, I’ll throw in my sympathy outrage and wild inferences and logical fallacies. Truth and research, those are too costly for my brain cells.
Oh wait, I think Fox News might sue him for infringing their corporate motto. 🙂