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Breaking News - Waves of deceit show people do not blindly follow the CCP’s media

Recently a continuous wave of deceitful information has been published by the CCP. State controlled media has apologized for a misleading report with a fabricated photo of a ‘Tibetan antelope’. A senior media personnel has expressed his optimism for the unwillingness of the general public to blindly follow news of the state controlled media.

The photo of a Tibetan antelope published by CCTV as one of the top ten photographic arts in 2006, was recently revealed by the on-line community as picture fabricated by the CCP, which accompanied yet another wave of deceitful news. On the 24th of February, CCTV broadcast an open apology for the false antelope and relevant reports.

According to Pei Yu, former editor of the Beijing Entertainment Courier, the exposure of these false photographs, is indicative of the suspicion held toward news reports by the general public in China. He feels people have learned to think in a multicultural way, and no longer blindly follow what they see and hear.

Following fabrication events such as the “Paper filled buns”, “Hunan Tiger Photo”, and “Chang Er No. 1 photo of the moon”, in mid-February, the photo of a “Tibetan antelope” which was supposedly taken by a photographer from Xin Hua News Agency, was discovered to have cut and paste marks. Also, a photo of more than 10 antelopes running across the fields of Tibet, appeared not to be disturbed by a passing motor vehicle.

Recently, the photo of “Pigeons on a public square receiving vaccine for SARS” received first prize in the Inaugural Chinese Photographic Competition of 2005. Senior reporter Ms Gao Yu from Beijing said, the reason for the wide-spread media fabrication of today, could be traced back to times when Mao Zedong was in power. Mao demanded cultural and art works become servants to politics, and concur with political directions. Media personnel in today’s China are being required to “concur with the CCP Central government”, and strictly follow the “guiding melody”.

According to Gao Yu, regardless of whether one is a photographer, writer, or journalist, one’s priority would be to affirm the political party, while other values, including fundamental occupational ethics, have become secondary. Whoever dares to speak the truth, and the scholars who carry out strict criticism, would suffer suppression and persecution. Gao said the root cause of this is the political administration, and the CCP’s dictatorship.

The above was brought to you by Qin Yue, Yu Yin and Chris Thomas for Breaking News on The SOH Radio Network.