To fake a headline in a newspaper in China to sell a few more copies is probably par for the course, but three newspapers named today are guilty of using their fake stories to extort money from local officials.
In one case, a group sent by Beijing-based newspaper China Business Herald blackmailed multiple organizations while interviewing in west China's Qinghai province in June, and released false stories online after failing to receive hush money.
In another case, Sanxiang City Express, a major paper based in central China's Hunan province, published a story in May accusing officials in a local village of neglecting their duties and conspiring with mine owners whose operations destroyed local farmland.
Both stories were complete rubbish, no officials investigated had done anything wrong (for once) and in Hunan, paddy fields were found to be abundant and productive.
The third case involved Shenzhen Economic Daily, which published a series of stories on illegal hospital registration fees that mixed up key definitions while failing to interview a pivotal party.
The association released a statement saying that "these media groups and reporters' behavior seriously violate journalistic professional ethics...resulting in a negative impression on the public while damaging the reputation of journalists," although no mention of what punishment the newspapers will receive, if any, was made. It's not the first time that Chinese newspapers have used the wheeze of smearing public figures for cash. Earlier this year, three Beijing based newspapers had their licenses revoked after charges of blackmail, printing fake news and using fake labor contracts to issue press cards.
Related articles
No comments:
Post a Comment