It started with CCTV news announcing on Feb. 28, that the 4 drug lords found guilty of murdering 12 Chinese sailors are to be executed.
The SCMP blogger John Kennedy blogged on March 1, with the above screen capture, that CCTV announced “broadcast live execution.”
http://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1165484/cctv-broadcast-live-execution-mekong-river-massacre-drug-smugglers
Except, that’s NOT what the CCTV news announced. The Chinese caption in the image actually showed 2 different lines, 1 stating the 4 drug lords are to be executed, the 2nd stating “tomorrow direct broadcast with more details.”
Now, nowhere in the image there was a line of “broadcast live execution”. John Kennedy appeared to have suffered an episode of Dyslexia, where he mixed Chinese words from 2 different lines to form a meaning where it didn’t exist, but even Kennedy couched his own title with the more detailed description
CCTV plans to do a live broadcast AS the men are each given a lethal injection
which is somewhat inconsistent with his title of
CCTV ‘to broadcast live execution
As Eric Fish of “Sinostand” noted in his tweet on the same day as John Kennedy’s blog,
Live broadcast WHILE they’re given the injection does NOT mean they’ll actually air the execution itself. C’mon people.
http://sinostand.com/2013/03/01/the-absurdity-of-a-live-broadcast-execution/
But even with Eric’s clear showing of the inconsistency between Kennedy’s own description and title, the blogsphere the twitterverse were soon flooded with believers of the Dyslexic title of John Kennedy’s blog. That’s what happens when people follow dyslexic news titles. But what can one expect from people who get their news from 140 characters or less of 1 lines in Twitter?? Frankly, who would see any errors or inconsistencies from 1 liner dumb down news?
*But soon after the apparent “non-news” dyslexic news of a non-existent broadcast of the “live execution,” came the wave of the much waited for outrage of moral outcry.
No, there was no live execution broadcasted, but even if the broadcast was mere “pre-execution”, it was close enough to justify the outrage. Nevermind that “pre-execution” interviews were done before, in China, and even in US.
1 Surprise was an article from Rebecca Liao, a US lawyer, in the Atlantic:
In Broadcasting Lead-Up to Execution, China Ignores Rule of Law
The article reads like multiple sets of self-conflicting statements, leading me to suspect that more than 1 individual may have torn through the original article and added things that were not originally written by Rebecca Liao.
For example, 1 part states “What coverage of the trips to the execution site does reveal, however, is that China still lacks a culture that the rule of law requires,” when earlier in the article, “On Friday, legal experts ticked through each of the procedural safeguards to demonstrate that the criminals have been dealt with fairly, from appealing the sentence to considering mitigating circumstances that were found ultimately to not apply.”
I don’t know who wrote what, but it seems the facts suggests that China went through vigorous procedure of checklists to ensure that the “rule of law” was followed. Indeed, the article admits, ” the broadcast was perfectly legal. No execution was ever shown.”
So, what “culture that the rule of law requires” is China accused of lacking? (especially when the article also admits, “even in societies that pride themselves on their mature legal systems the question of live executions has hardly been settled,” when discussing US).
1 Chinese lawyer criticizing the Pre-execution interview was 斯伟江, who criticize the broadcast as “expanding” what Chinese laws allowed. He quoted the Chinese Supreme Court as having stated that “executions can be publicly announced, but not publicly displayed,” and then proceeded to interpret the Pre-execution broadcast as “public display.”
But what’s the difference? He doesn’t explain. However, he (and others) seem to imply that somehow, any thing viewed as INTENDED to display and show the punitive consequences in the EXECUTION is considered public display, and also “crass” and immoral.
By the same logic, the critics who boiled over their little tempest in the teapot were also putting the LIVE executions of the 4 criminals on “public display”. Indeed, many of the critics even previously discussed executions of other criminals that was not even discussed in Chinese media. Were they also putting the executions on public display?
If “PRE-Execution” media coverage is so horrible, (when the criminal is still alive), then WHAT about so many “POST-Execution” media coverages? (Case in point: Saddam and Gaddafi’s dead bodies were shown repeatedly in Western media. Were they not gruesome “public displays” served as revenge warnings of the animalistic nature??!) If you really want to discuss revenge warnings, showing dead bodies is far more gruesome and immoral than showing living bodies!
Was the Chinese government supposed to put in some media “blackout” after the death sentences were announced? I mean, seriously, would the likes of 斯伟江 and John Kennedy follow such an order, and NOT talk about or cover executions of prominent individuals? I am certain that they would do it in a heart-beat to the most excruciating details of horror, to discuss the cruelty of government policies. (And they do so, even in this case).
Oh, I have no doubt that people who brew little tempests of outrage seldom want the tempests blown back at them. Thus, they apply their own morality liberally, with moving goal posts. Their own stretching of definitions is “rule of law”, while mere information from others is too “crass”.
But here is the rub. MANY people have different views on the misbehavior of media people. Unless the critics can actually agree on what is the line of legality here, I don’t think their moral judgment is worth more than well, their own moral judgment, in “RULE of Law”.
And that’s really the point: It’s nice that you have personal morality when you are criticizing behavior of others, but that’s not “RULE of Law” in any country, especially when such issues are admittedly NOT settled in most nations.
__________
And more specifically on the issue of a mature “culture” of rule of law, the Atlantic article stated,
This sort of culture acknowledges the more visceral forms of justice but also prizes a rational approach to dealing with crime and punishment. The focus of the criminal justice system should be on deterrence, punishing only insofar as society may benefit and recognizing the humanity of defendants regardless of the alleged crimes. Vengeance and assertions of might are unwelcome in this context.
I would agree to these statements in the generality in which it was stated. But let us look at the “culture” of “rational approach” of deterrence and punishment more in the specifics.
I would argue that PRE-execution interviews offer some last chance to the criminals. If they are to die as proper punishment, they should be given last chances to speak in public, to speak their own case, to ask forgiveness, to have their last dignities.
In CONTRAST, I would argue that in the Western media, POST-Execution media coverages are far more overly done and are vastly more egregious and grotesque in nature.
Again, as case in point, Saddam, Gaddafi, dead bodies “paraded” in media, over and over again, for DAYS and WEEKS.
This sort of POST-death “victory parade”, like Augustus Ceasar parading the bodies of Mark Antony and Cleopatra through Rome, simply de-humanizes criminals, even after death.
And Osama bin Laden’s death? Celebrated in movies and even CGI simulated animations of his last moments, repeatedly. Were these not the excessive display of “vengeance and assertions of might” by the Western media in pursuit of their “culture”???
I would argue that displaying a criminal’s LIVING moments actually humanizes him. And the fact that it spawned even some PUBLIC sympathies for the 4 drug lords, shows that the PRE-Execution coverage were NOT displays of “vengeance and assertions of might.”
YES, CCTV showed that these 4 people were REAL living people that were going to be executed. They were talking with some emotion and rationality, even repentantly at times. And the audience saw that they understood what they did. They were HUMAN BEINGS who made the terrible errors of their crimes, and the RULE of LAW says that they should be executed.
If that reality of a legal system that must PUNISH real living people is too HARSH for some, That’s too bad.
THAT confrontation of the REALITY of Rule of Law is also part of a mature “culture” of Rule of Law, a culture mature enough to actually understand what the punishment really means.
I think the FAILURE to confront that reality is actually the IMMATURITY of the Western culture, fed by the immaturity of its media and its system of de-humanizing its criminals. Rather than confronting the reality of its punishment systems, it punishes its criminals by tucking them away in the darkness and pretend that somehow the Western criminal system is “humane”.
The result of that system in US? Maturely putting away more than 1% of its population behind bars. I would argue that this high incarceration rate is a result of the legal system that de-humanizes the process of punishment, making the public and the criminals alike become insensitive to the actual punishments.
Furthermore, it spawns more cycles of other de-humanizing punishments, such as the Drone-kill lists and “collateral damages” in wars. Yes, when the legal system de-humanizes even one’s own citizens, why feel any sympathies for people outside of one’s borders??
I would also argue that the real reason why some in the West are so abhorred by the PRE-Execution coverage (like many were also disturbed by McVeigh TV interviews), is that when they watched the criminals alive, it is disturbing for some that they realized for the 1st time in their lives that their OWN legal system is so hopelessly de-humanizing, that they were afraid to allow their own condemned criminals like Tim McVeigh appear REAL and living on TV.
They wanted to simply characterize such criminals as “monsters”, and then just have them die in a chamber somewhere and then burnt (and if really hated them, have their deaths virtually paraded).
This is not a mature “culture” of rule of law in the West. The shrills of the Western media have NO real conception of what actual punishment in a legal system MEANS, (what it means to put some LIVING person to death or away in prison), or what “deterrence” means.
If you cannot confront the reality (the actual impact) of the punishment, then you have no understanding of “deterrence” or “justice”, you are just punishing because you vaguely believe that somehow the punishment will “deter” and serve “justice”.
The reality of the Western “culture” of rule of law boils people down to mere numbers, in years, cell space, prisoner numbers, counts, meal cost, uniforms, sanitation supply, and PERHAPS some new exciting Prison drama for TV/movies.
In this case in China, I think the PRE-execution coverage serves as a confrontation of the punishment under the Rule of Law. I do not see reasons to shy away from it.
(I draw the line at actually showing the execution itself, as the laws ban actual “public display” OF the EXECUTION. I would also draw the line for POST-death displays, virtual or real. Such displays would be just sadism and death voyeurism. POST-death displays are Sadism, in the very real sense of the word, since the original Marquis de Sade also made his living and hobby writing descriptions of deaths, to be replayed in the minds of true Sadists.)
Those whose nerves are too raw for the harsh realities, need not debate about “rule of law” any more. You won’t like the reality of it. You also won’t like the reality of your own “humane” “culture” that produced vast prisons and POST-death “victory parades.”
Zack says
really, all of this stems from the Western press’ inability to reconcile the fact that China is actually practicing true rule of law whilst the West’s practice of murdering its own citizens without due process (via drone) and flagrant disregard for UN laws of soverignty showcases their own hypocrisy. I see all this as the desperate rearguard actions of a declining western entity believing that if they can delay China’s ascendancy, they can somehow ensure continued western dominance.
secondly, the SCMP. the rag of british/anglo expats living in HK and pining for the days when they could lord it over the Chinese. All it takes is some idiot’s tweet being retweeted and the idiocy of the western world is laid to bare.
i’ll be really surprised if Kennedy issues a retraction and recants. Doubtless, he’s going to fight this tooth and nail because he’s an ideologue and ideologues are stupid.
pug_ster says
Watching western news about China is like The Onion or from the fiction section. Nothing shocks me anymore about news like this. So the best thing to do is to make fun of the stupidity of the author or the media.
Black Pheonix says
As I updated above, I see nothing wrong with pre-execution coverage of interviewing the criminals. It humanizes them, give them last diginities in public. Let people see them as living breathing human beings, rather than some abstract media reported “monsters”.
In the CCTV coverage, the journalists spoke to the criminals like real people to real people, speaking with emotions, like remorse, etc.
In Western executions, the criminals are allowed to some times repent before a priest or even the victims’ families, before execution.
If their crimes are so heinous against society as to deserve death, then I think they should be afforded opportunity to repent before the public.
and this is also about the PUBLIC facing the human being that must be punished according to law. The law cannot simply condemn a man to death, and then such a man suddenly ceases to be a human being and becomes a mere organic blob waiting to die.
Yes, criminals are human beings, and yet, they still must be punished, otherwise, there is no rule of law.
Thus, the PUBLIC must confront the double sided reality that acknowledges that harsh reality that a REAL human being MUST be punished.
It is the IMPERFECT system of law, the IMPERFECT justice, (in every nation), which we must all CONFRONT.
Averting one’s eyes in squeamishness to NOT see a living person, only proves that one is IMMATURE and unprepared for any consequences of JUSTICE in imperfections (which is ALWAYS a certainty).
Allen says
Black Phoenix, while you might subscribe to this justification – there are many other “theories” of criminal punishment, which may ultimately be tied up with political theories (and we know what kind of endless rabbit hole that can become).
See, e.g., http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/students/groups/osjcl/files/2012/05/SiglerIntroduction.pdf
pug_ster says
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/CHIN-01-080313.html
Good article about what you describe about. This article also mentions about in Western Propaganda of how Timothy McVaugh was executed in detail. This makes the execution of the 4 criminals in China rather tame.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/164697-2
Ray says
During the discussion of the legality of the supposed airing of the execution, I think the real focus is lost. Why are we forgetting the victims and their family? Have humanity reached a stage where politics is what we cared about. As the article posted on Asia Time above showed, the victims included two female crew who was tied and shot execution style. A total of twelve bodies were found and one was still missing. I think any human with a heart should condemn the mocked outrage of these western media.
New York Times: Chinese TV Special on Executions Stirs Debate/ Divided Chinese See a Live TV Program About Executions as Crass, or Cathartic
NPR: China’s Broadcast Of Drug Lord’s Final Hours Sparks Controversy
Reuters: “Execution parade” of four behind Mekong murders angers Chinese
The Guardian: China divided on TV ‘execution parade’: judicial resolve or crude voyeurism
Wall Street Journal: Debate Swirls Around China Execution Broadcast
Simply read the following news coverage to see how out of tune and despicable those western media are.
http://english.sina.com/china/p/2011/1013/404872.html
The following link contained very offensive pictures. If one care so much of the dignity of people, maybe in the future no such pictures should be published ever!
http://www.whatsonshenzhen.com/news-825-mekong-river-traffic-suspended-after-13-chinese-abducted-sailors-killed.html
Ray says
And those Thai officers and soldiers who are involved are still at large. Where is the justice?
Mister Unknown says
“Justice”? Don’t expect any justice from the western media, OR the western public for that matter. Any time China stands up for itself in anyway, be it diplomatic, legal, or otherwise, 9 times out of 10 it will be portrayed as an aggressive, nationalistic overreaction. That’s just reality.
Black Pheonix says
@Allen
I would agree with that as well. Thus, further proving that the “culture” which the Atlantic article mentioned was entirely fictional.
Mch27 says
And why does the negative portrayal matter so much? The average Chinese netizen knows better anyway.
Black Pheonix says
@Mch27
Insults matter enough to be pointed out. The average Chinese netizens shouldn’t just be subjected to insults like this without responding.
Black Pheonix says
The history of executions and punishment show that the Western system of criminal punishment has only “civilized” in name only, and resulting in a system that merely turned into a different kind of punishment by humiliation.
Namely, the Western criminal system is now almost entirely based upon “social exile” of sorts, where criminals are effectively isolated and shunned from society, even long after the punishment was supposed to end.
The 1800 English law provided, “during the short but awful interval between sentence and execution, the prisoner shall be kept alone, and sustained with only bread and water.”
While this was an improvement over the final humiliations of public hangings and public decapitations, this treatment of the prisoner in the final hours was still de-humanizing, by cutting the prisoner literally off from society, immediately after sentencing.
In modern application, this is effectively “death row”, the long long wait of years for many.
This “social ex-communication” has other traditional roots.
Medieval executioners wore hoods, to mask their identities, and prisoners were forbidden to look upon their executioners.
Modern executions often had prisoners blindfolded or hooded. Again, not allowing the prisoners to even look upon others at execution.
Why? Executions were considered to be too horrible to look at?
No, it was to cut off the prisoners, even from able to perceive the world.
In centuries of such traditions, the Western society became unable and unwilling to confront the living people that they punish, especially in their final hours. Afraid or unwilling to take responsibility for carrying out rule of law.
In Executions by firing squad, the firing squad would be composed of multiple shooters, most of whom have blanks in their guns, and only a few with REAL bullets? Why? that way, NO one of them would know who fired the actual bullet that killed the prisoner, and thus NO one of them can be directly responsible for the execution. (Oh, much better than just 1 guy with 1 gun and 1 bullet, up close and immediate).
Talk about running away from responsibilities. I mean, if the sentence is just, executioners (the society) should take responsibilities for it. Why do such ridiculous pretenses to avoid direct responsibilities?
Lethal injections? Well, that takes a few minutes for that poison to run through the veins.
I don’t understand the logic behind such flowery window dressing for executions and punishments. Which seemingly more for making the Executioners and the prison guards feel better than actually doing any good for the prisoners.
Mister Unknown says
I think you bring up a good point. I would say that luckily for us, the western media has lost a lot of its credibility amongst Chinese netizens since 2008. However, I think there remains no shortage of Chinese (in my personal opinion) who remain ready to believe anything the West has to say. Furthermore, I would say that developing countries’ opinions of China matters far more than that of the West.
So is the western media’s demonization of China still relevant? Well, I would say yes & no. I think China’s biggest priority in the publicity war should be to counter western propaganda in developing countries, and also to continue exposing western propaganda for what it is to the domestic audience.
Zack says
in a way, the china bashing of 2008 and the continued unprofessionalism and bias of the western media has served to bite these western media outlets on the arse: China is now fielding competing media conglomerates to take on the monopoly of the anglo/western media-and it’s working.
CNTV and CNC World, modelled on the al jazeera model have been making inroads as a source of alternative news
Mister Unknown says
Don’t forget to add Russia Today (RT) to the list. I actually consider them the most effective amongst your aforementioned media outlets. They have the sharpest critics and the most sleek presentation styles.
Zack says
@Mister Unknown
indeed, i’d say that it’s because RT is uncompromising when it comes to seeking out the most critical stories about the US (an apt tit for tat for Western media outlets towards Russia) and that sort of sensationalism tends to garner views. It’s why RT has seen such phenomenal growth in North America, particularly Canada.
CNTV and CNC World remind me of Al Jazeera before they outed themselves as an arm of Qatar’s foreign policy and propaganda machine. The only key difference is that Reporters from CNTV and CNC World don’t have the sneering and judgemental attitude of the reporters from Al Jazeera (most of whom were BBC journos, which might account for such attitudes).
In fact, for a ‘mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party’, both CNTV and CNC World-and by extension, ChinaDaily have been remarkably objective and fair towards the US in their reporting whereas the same cannot be said for the reverse.