China's "Ministry of Truth" Hid Grotesque Uighur Muslim Violence
http://theopinionator.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/06/chinas-ministry-of-truth-hid-grotesque-uighur-muslim-violence.htmlLike reading a passage from George Orwell's book 1984 comes this article describing a lecture given by China's deputy chief editor of state news agency Xinhua, Mr. Xia Lin. It reveals, not surprisingly, the Communist Country's overt efforts to conceal the truth from the Chinese people. In perfect "Ministry of Truth" language the intent is clarified:
"Titled Understanding Journalistic Protocols for Covering Breaking News, the speech was intended to help budding journalists understand Xinhua's dual mission: To give Chinese leaders an accurate picture of current events and to deftly manipulate that picture for the public to ensure social harmony."
The article begins with a space flight cover-up but even more interesting to this blog is Mr Xia Lin, exposing and confirming - in a few snippets - what really happened last year when rioting angry Uighur muslims went on a rampage. Mr. Lin tells of the Uighurs raping & slaughtering innocent Han Chinese men, women and children. The facts are bone chilling.
"Mr Xia's journalism lecture included other examples of Xinhua's handiwork, most notably the coverage of ethnic rioting in Xinjiang last year that left nearly 200 people dead.
According to the transcript, Mr Xia explained how Xinhua concealed the true horror of the unrest, during which the victims were mostly Han Chinese, for fear that it would set off violence beyond Urumqi.
Uighur rioters burned bus passengers alive, he told the class, and they raped women and decapitated children, displaying their heads on a highway median."
Interesting that like it's far too similar Western propaganda counterparts, authoritarian China feels compelled to mitigate grotesque muslim violence and downplay it's motives - all under the guise of community cohesion. Thus we have the Chinese version of the British "move along now - nothing to see here" that is so prevalent in the British and Western "free speech" media particularly when the subject of muslim violence is involved.
And, not to be outdone in their own Ministry of Truth quest - much of the Western media downplayed the Uighur brutality preferring instead to portray them as victims of aggressive police action:
"AFP news agency quoted general secretary of the Uighur American Association in Washington Alim Seytoff as saying that police had begun "indiscriminately" shooting at protesting crowds." SOURCE
Thus the conclusion can be made: When it comes to muslims, the "Ministry of Truth" style censorship has clearly gone global.
Article in full:
Xinhua editor reveals how coverage was edited
It was October 2003, and National broadcaster CCTV aired live coverage of the moment when workers opened the capsule door to reveal the smiling face of a hero - evidence that China's maiden space voyage had gone off without a hitch.
Or had it?
A lecture given by the deputy chief editor of state news agency Xinhua reveals that the mission was not so picture-perfect.
During a speech to a group of journalism students last month, Mr Xia Lin described how a design flaw had exposed the astronaut to excessive G-force pressure during re-entry, splitting his lip and drenching his face in blood.
Workers quickly mopped up the blood, strapped Mr Yang back in his seat and shut the door. Then, with cameras rolling, the cabin door swung open again, revealing an unblemished moment of triumph.
The content of Mr Xia's speech, later transcribed and posted online by a student who attended the May 15 lecture at Tianjin Foreign Studies University, has become a sensation in recent days.
Titled Understanding Journalistic Protocols for Covering Breaking News, the speech was intended to help budding journalists understand Xinhua's dual mission: To give Chinese leaders an accurate picture of current events and to deftly manipulate that picture for the public to ensure social harmony.
Mr Xia's journalism lecture included other examples of Xinhua's handiwork, most notably the coverage of ethnic rioting in Xinjiang last year that left nearly 200 people dead.
According to the transcript, Mr Xia explained how Xinhua concealed the true horror of the unrest, during which the victims were mostly Han Chinese, for fear that it would set off violence beyond Urumqi.
Uighur rioters burned bus passengers alive, he told the class, and they raped women and decapitated children, displaying their heads on a highway median.
"Under those circumstances, it would have exacerbated ethnic conflicts if more photos were released," he said.
Mr Xiao Qiang, an adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said the seeming frankness of Mr Xia's words reflected how unapologetic Xinhua was in its mission.
"He's basically telling these students that journalism in China is a big show, it's fabricated, but in the end it's all justified for the higher purpose of stability," Mr Xiao said.
Postings about Mr Xia's journalism lecture were quickly deleted, but new transcripts kept appearing.
Mr Xiao said the fact that the original posting had appeared at all suggested that some Chinese journalism students were still idealistic.
"Perhaps it shows that at least one of these young students was shocked by what he heard," he said. THE NEW YORK TIMES
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