I had a chance to shadow Julie Forster, reporter of Pioneer Press on employment, to report the release of unemployment figures on May 21. It was my first time here to shadow a business reporter. The process seemed simple and routine: We arrived at the meeting room, had a small talk with the business official and the release started. It's a kind of televised meeting, with some reporters calling in to ask questions. In China, it would be similar. But it turned out that the article is more interesting than I expected. Short as it is, it's not recording of dull figures and numbers, but a story told with a featurish lead to show the tricky time (the job market seems to be improving, but not for sure). In my home newspaper, we have tried to "tell stories" even when it is about drab economic figures while here I find featurish way of writing has become very common. It'll be a good learning process for me.
Part of my life here is to read my host newspaper to understand how they are doing stories. There is a series of stories about a Hmong young man who was shot dead by police. His families thought the police used "excessive force" to kill him. The newspaper has run a series of stories tracking the court hearings and jury ruling to show to the readers how the case is going by quoting both police and the dead man's families. What impressed me is the continuity of the reporting, which ensures readers know the whole process of what's going on. In those days, I often made a comparison between the case and the Deng Yujiao case － the No. 1 case now in China. I would think about what if I do the stories on Deng in China? What I can learn from the Pioneer Press series for doing the Deng stories?
On 28 May, I covered a Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce release of business vitality index, which compared the business environment of Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area with ten other major areas across the country. I've done a short story on that and is waiting for reponse from my editor.
The next day, I interviewed a professor of Concordia University of St Paul on the consumption habits of Africa-born immigrants in the US. Hopefully I'll go on to interview some immigrants and business people to see how those immigrants would have a bearing on local economy. I'll discuss it with my editor Monday.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Mob attacks, beats news reporters
By Cai Ke (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-29 06:46
Updated: 2009-05-29 06:46
BADONG COUNTY, Hubei: Two reporters were attacked and beaten yesterday as they conducted an interview into the high-profile case of a woman charged with stabbing and killing an official.
"Four guys rushed into the house and started throwing our belongings out," Beijing News reporter Kong Pu told China Daily.
She had been interviewing the grandmother of Deng Yujiao, who is alleged to have killed an official while defending herself against sexual assault.
"They beat me and wrestled me to the ground," said Southern People Weekly reporter Wei Yi, who was with Kong in Yesanguan, Hubei province.
After the beating, three men escorted the reporters away, Kong said.
But when Kong went back to collect their umbrellas, she met another mob.
One of them shouted at her "How dare you come back," Kong told China Daily.
"Then they grabbed my mobile phone before pulling my ear and hair, slapping my arms," Kong said.
She called police after the second attack at 2:30 pm yesterday.
The reporters were escorted to the police station where they made statements about the incident.
The attack came two days after the government announced that Deng, 21, had been released on bail.
In a case that has sparked widespread debate and media attention, police say karaoke employee Deng Yujiao stabbed government official Deng Guida to death May 10 after he allegedly demanded sex and hit her with money.
Wei is asking police to investigate and punish the mob.
"We have arranged a task force to probe this case," Wang Haibo, deputy director of Badong government information office told China Daily.
"Yesanguan officials told me some scuffle took place when local villagers were trying to dissuade the two reporters from interviews," he said.
"If some people really did beat up the reporters, they will be dealt with according to law," he added.
(China Daily 05/29/2009 page4)
Reporters allegedly attacked over official-killing waitress story
By Benjamin Overton ()
Though Deng Yujiao, the 21-year-old waitress accused of killing a government official, may have been saved by the flurry of internet postings in her support, the same netizen fervor may be making it dangerous for reporters to get the full story.
Deng has become a sort of internet folk heroine after stabbing a government official who was allegedly trying to rape her. The dead official, head of a trade promotion department in Deng's town, is said to have demanded "special services" from Deng, thrown money in her face and pushed her to the sofa several times before she stabbed him with a fruit knife.
The case won the sympathy of many netizens, who railed against the actions of morally corrupt officials. Their anger was further stoked when local authorities toned down reports of the officials' activities. Presumably in a typically heavy-handed way to clamp a lid on the matter, reporters are now allegedly being attacked when trying to contact Deng.
According to Danwei, a recent twitter posting by Yang Xiao, a Southern People journalist, claims that one of his colleagues was attacked and kidnapped by thugs of unknown identity. The post, translated below, has now eclipsed even Swine Flu as the topic of the day on Twitter and its clones:
I am Yang Xiao, a Southern People journalist based in Beijing. My colleague Wei Yi was at Deng Yujiao's grandmother's home (at Yesanguanmulongya). When he was interviewing her, men of unknown identity beat him up and took him away (New Century Weekly journalist Kong Pu was present).
Additional reports are coming in quickly and seem to point towards a government cover-up. EastSouthNorthWest has compiled several reports which seem to back up Yang Xiao’s Twitter post. It translated a quickly "harmonized" report on the KDNet forums:
Southern People Weekly magazine reporter Wei Yi went yesterday morning to interview people at the home of the maternal grandmother of Deng Yujiao, which is located at number 8, Bridage 10, Mulongya village, Yesanguan town) and was assaulted by unidentified persons. He has been taken away by these people and held captive. At the time, Beijing News reporter Kong Pu was present. The last call from Wei Yi came at 1:27pm. Thereafter, his co-workers kept calling him but his phone was hung up immediately. The phone has now been turned off.After Beijing News reporter Kong Pu got separated from Wei Yi, a group of women came up to assault her while screaming: "So may be the guys won't beat up a girl, but we would!"
Another reporter said: The Yesanguan police station was called, but they refused to dispatch any officers. Then they actually disconnected the phone.
While the original post from Yang Xiao has disappeared, Twitter appears to be moving faster than government censors can follow. The tweet has been reposted countless times and is perhaps proving that Twitter, at least for now, is immune to government censorship.
The Deng Yujiao case is one of the newest examples of public opinion provoking government action in China. As the Associated Press notes, the case of Deng Yujiao is very similar to the case of Yang Jia, a Shanghai man who aroused public sympathy last year after confessing that he killed six police officers as revenge for alleged torture he had suffered months earlier.
Chinese outraged over arrest of pedicurist who stabbed lecherous official (from Times online)
May 27, 2009
The case of a pedicurist and lecherous official has galvanised public opinion in China.
Women’s groups, and even the conservative state All-China Women’s Federation, have demanded fair treatment for Deng Yujiao, 21, who stabbed a government official to death in the hotel where she worked when he demanded that she provide him with “special services”.
Civil rights organisations and many ordinary Chinese want an explanation for the arrest of a young woman who said that she was defending herself against the unwanted advances of the director of the local business promotion office.
They want to know why a Communist Party official was frequenting a hotel that offered massages with “special services” — a euphemism for sex.
Such is public indignation over Ms Deng’s fate that usually docile newspapers and websites have largely ignored a government directive ordering all reports to toe the official line.
The case is particularly emotive since it cuts to the heart of many of the most sensitive issues troubling Chinese society.
These include abuse of the law in favour of vested interests at the expense of the weak, and the rapid spread of the sex trade in a country whose Communist leadership prides itself on puritan values.
It pits the vulnerable, particularly women struggling to make a living, against the might of the state and the abuse of power. The most detailed account is in the Southern Metropolis Weekly and is based on Ms Deng’s conversations with her lawyer.
She says that on May 10, Deng Guida and another local official found her washing her clothes in the Xiongfeng Hotel. When she declined their advances, they tried to force her and slapped her over the head with wads of cash.
She said Deng Guida shouted: “Don’t you want money? You have never seen any money! How much money do you want? Would you believe if it if I beat you to death with money. I’m going to get a truckload of money and squash you to death.”
The two men ignored a hotel official who tried to intervene and pushed the girl back on a sofa. She drew a fruit knife out of her bag and lashed out. Deng Guida, 44, was killed and his colleague, also 44, was wounded.
The young woman called the police to the dying man and then waited. She was arrested for deliberate homicide. The charge triggered a public outcry.
Debate is raging as to whether she was acting in self-defence and whether that plea will be of any avail in court. Some have asked whether Mr Deng was using his own money or public funds to visit the hotel. The hotel says that its business has collapsed since civil servants have stopped visiting.
One internet commentator said: “Why do so many government officials like to make fun of the public? Don’t you know that with each time public trust in you is falling?”
Another wrote: “This case is not just about Deng Yujiao. It’s about the issue of trust in the Government, about the issue of public confidence.”
As the incident has dominated national debate for days, police have apparently put pressure on her mother to fire her two lawyers. The pair voiced their shock, saying: “We wish to express our strong indignation at the improper actions of the Government.”
Ms Deng has been released on bail.
Internet pressure
— Zhou Jiugeng, a government property official in central Nanjing, was fired after photos appeared on the internet showing him at a meeting smoking cigarettes costing 1,500 yuan (£150) a carton. He was tracked down by online vigilantes and sacked last December
— Internet outrage last November forced the dismissal of a senior Communist Party official after video footage from a restaurant security camera showed him shoving the father of an 11-year-old girl whom he had allegedly assaulted
— Online opinion swung behind Yang Jia, 28, a Beijing man who stabbed to death six police in Shanghai. Many felt that he had been unfairly treated and, since his execution in November, his grave has been kept under police surveillance in case supporters visit
— Internet users took part last February in an unprecedented inquiry after an online furore when a man died in police custory and the official report blamed his death on a violent game of “hide and seek”
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
China mourns quake dead on May 12
Incense burns as solemn China mourns quake dead
By Royston Chan Royston Chan – Tue May 12
BEICHUAN, China (Reuters) – Mourners crowded ruins in southwest China on Tuesday to mark one year since an earthquake shattered the region, while President Hu Jintao called reconstruction efforts a testament to national strength.
In Sichuan province, where the earthquake rippled out from Wenchuan County on May 12 last year, survivors and relatives filed into devastated towns to mourn loved ones among the more than 80,000 people killed.
Hu laid a wreath at a memorial in Yingxiu, a town near the epicenter wiped out by the quake, and called the vast effort to rescue survivors and rebuild the region a vindication of ruling Communist Party policy.
"During the quake rescue and reconstruction, the whole country has strived with one heart," Hu, somber and low-voiced, said in front of a stone carving of a clock showing the time -- 2:28 p.m. local time -- when the quake struck.
"The constant improvement of our national strength since reform and opening up began is the firm material foundation for our victory over the massive Wenchuan earthquake disaster," he said in the speech shown live on Chinese television.
In the weeks preceding the anniversary, official media have cast the quake as a patriotic milestone demonstrating the government's strength and commitment to people's welfare.
But for many families of the dead, the anniversary was above all a painful personal re-encounter with the frantic scenes of 12 months ago, when bewildered residents and ill-equipped soldiers struggled to save those trapped in homes, offices and schools.
In Beichuan, a valley town wiped out by the quake and nowadays usually empty and sealed off by guards, locals and camera-snapping visitors poured in after police opened the gates.
INCENSE AND ASHES
Many mourning residents lit incense and ritual paper money intended to comfort the dead. Ashes swirled in the blustery air.
"I feel the earthquake isn't over yet. Every time I see something about it, I feel like crying," said Zhou Ya, a 20-year-old woman who lost a brother and sister in Beichuan, as she lit incense and ritual money in its ruins.
For some survivors, the anniversary also drew bitter words about the government's reluctance to openly investigate buildings that collapsed in the quake, especially schools that fell while nearby offices and apartments stayed intact.
In Hanwang, a factory town ruined by the quake, mourners gathered at a mass grave on a nearby hill they said held thousands of victims, including workers and schoolchildren killed when their aged workshops and classrooms collapsed.
Parents of children killed in the Dongqi Middle School in Hanwang, like bereaved parents in many parts of the quake area, said neglect and poor standards contributed to the deaths.
That fury stoked protests in the wake of the quake. Ahead of the anniversary, razed schools and outspoken parents have been under guard by police and local officials.
The Hanwang school had been officially classified as dangerously dilapidated years before the quake, but wrangling over funds delayed plans to move the classrooms, according to parents and Chinese newspaper reports from last year.
"We came to remember our son. But this was not just a natural disaster. He died from people's actions," said Fu Xingneng, who said he believed his son Fu Cheng was buried in the mass grave.
Officials prevented any memorial gathering on the morning of the anniversary at Juyuan, a town where hundreds of children died in the local middle school, three parents told Reuters by phone.
"I feel there's too much control," said one of them, Zhou Liangping. "We just wanted to gather and remember our babies."
(Writing and additional reporting by Chris Buckley in Hanwang; Editing by Nick Macfie and Alex Richardson)
By Royston Chan Royston Chan – Tue May 12
BEICHUAN, China (Reuters) – Mourners crowded ruins in southwest China on Tuesday to mark one year since an earthquake shattered the region, while President Hu Jintao called reconstruction efforts a testament to national strength.
In Sichuan province, where the earthquake rippled out from Wenchuan County on May 12 last year, survivors and relatives filed into devastated towns to mourn loved ones among the more than 80,000 people killed.
Hu laid a wreath at a memorial in Yingxiu, a town near the epicenter wiped out by the quake, and called the vast effort to rescue survivors and rebuild the region a vindication of ruling Communist Party policy.
"During the quake rescue and reconstruction, the whole country has strived with one heart," Hu, somber and low-voiced, said in front of a stone carving of a clock showing the time -- 2:28 p.m. local time -- when the quake struck.
"The constant improvement of our national strength since reform and opening up began is the firm material foundation for our victory over the massive Wenchuan earthquake disaster," he said in the speech shown live on Chinese television.
In the weeks preceding the anniversary, official media have cast the quake as a patriotic milestone demonstrating the government's strength and commitment to people's welfare.
But for many families of the dead, the anniversary was above all a painful personal re-encounter with the frantic scenes of 12 months ago, when bewildered residents and ill-equipped soldiers struggled to save those trapped in homes, offices and schools.
In Beichuan, a valley town wiped out by the quake and nowadays usually empty and sealed off by guards, locals and camera-snapping visitors poured in after police opened the gates.
INCENSE AND ASHES
Many mourning residents lit incense and ritual paper money intended to comfort the dead. Ashes swirled in the blustery air.
"I feel the earthquake isn't over yet. Every time I see something about it, I feel like crying," said Zhou Ya, a 20-year-old woman who lost a brother and sister in Beichuan, as she lit incense and ritual money in its ruins.
For some survivors, the anniversary also drew bitter words about the government's reluctance to openly investigate buildings that collapsed in the quake, especially schools that fell while nearby offices and apartments stayed intact.
In Hanwang, a factory town ruined by the quake, mourners gathered at a mass grave on a nearby hill they said held thousands of victims, including workers and schoolchildren killed when their aged workshops and classrooms collapsed.
Parents of children killed in the Dongqi Middle School in Hanwang, like bereaved parents in many parts of the quake area, said neglect and poor standards contributed to the deaths.
That fury stoked protests in the wake of the quake. Ahead of the anniversary, razed schools and outspoken parents have been under guard by police and local officials.
The Hanwang school had been officially classified as dangerously dilapidated years before the quake, but wrangling over funds delayed plans to move the classrooms, according to parents and Chinese newspaper reports from last year.
"We came to remember our son. But this was not just a natural disaster. He died from people's actions," said Fu Xingneng, who said he believed his son Fu Cheng was buried in the mass grave.
Officials prevented any memorial gathering on the morning of the anniversary at Juyuan, a town where hundreds of children died in the local middle school, three parents told Reuters by phone.
"I feel there's too much control," said one of them, Zhou Liangping. "We just wanted to gather and remember our babies."
(Writing and additional reporting by Chris Buckley in Hanwang; Editing by Nick Macfie and Alex Richardson)
Monday, May 11, 2009
The past two weeks (from 26 April to 9 May)
Quite busy in the past two weeks, moving from one place to another. But it's rewarding since we fellows can have the chances to talk to different people on various occasions.
It's good that finally I finished my independently made story on food donation. From doing that story, I feel it has little difference doing interviews in the US and in China. The only issue for me is the language. I still need to hone my language to communicate smoothly with the interviewees.
The first week here in St Paul is busy and interesting. I met and talked with a lot of people, including the editor of Pioneer Press, website editor, my mentor, of course, and an insurance company manager.
I have also shadowed reporters on reporting a court hearing on bankers' fraudulence and the senate and house debate, public hearing in the city hall and a news briefing and law-signing ceremony in the State Capitol. So much for me to "chew and digest"!
What impressed me most is the openness of the US politics. A Pioneer Press reporter told me that the mayor's office is unlocked and anyone can just walk in and talk to him. And during the meeting of senators and house members, a large number of lobbyists would be waiting outside, looking for opportunities to lobby. It's something new to me.
It's good to learn from the Pioneer Press editor that they have launched a new magazine for targeted readers so that they can make money from advertising amid the slumping economy. It has broken even! It has also launched a new website for the local moms. Such a targeted market moves serve as a valuable lesson for my newspaper back in China.
It's good that finally I finished my independently made story on food donation. From doing that story, I feel it has little difference doing interviews in the US and in China. The only issue for me is the language. I still need to hone my language to communicate smoothly with the interviewees.
The first week here in St Paul is busy and interesting. I met and talked with a lot of people, including the editor of Pioneer Press, website editor, my mentor, of course, and an insurance company manager.
I have also shadowed reporters on reporting a court hearing on bankers' fraudulence and the senate and house debate, public hearing in the city hall and a news briefing and law-signing ceremony in the State Capitol. So much for me to "chew and digest"!
What impressed me most is the openness of the US politics. A Pioneer Press reporter told me that the mayor's office is unlocked and anyone can just walk in and talk to him. And during the meeting of senators and house members, a large number of lobbyists would be waiting outside, looking for opportunities to lobby. It's something new to me.
It's good to learn from the Pioneer Press editor that they have launched a new magazine for targeted readers so that they can make money from advertising amid the slumping economy. It has broken even! It has also launched a new website for the local moms. Such a targeted market moves serve as a valuable lesson for my newspaper back in China.
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