Categories: Archives

Chinese raid newspaper, detain seven

For those who thought authoritarian rule in China had released its grip on the country, a… For those who thought authoritarian rule in China had released its grip on the country, a police raid, along with the subsequent questioning of seven newspaper officials, shows that whatever advances the country has made toward opening to the world, China has not improved its policies concerning freedom of the press.

The raid occurred at the Southern Metropolis Daily – a Chinese newspaper based in Guangzhou that recently broke the story about an unpublicized Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome case at a local hospital. The Daily also found itself in political jeopardy last year after reporting on the death of a man in police custody.

According to the state-owned Nanfang Daily Press Group, of which the newspaper is part, the raid was ordered under the pretense of inspecting the company’s financial practices.

But, as The New York Times reported Jan. 7, this is standard practice when the government disagrees with a state-owned company. Two other of the Group’s members – Southern Weekend and 21st Century World Herald – have been censured for the political tint of their articles, and the latter was shut down.

Clearly, China doesn’t want its people to know about potential health risks – ones that have been widely reported, and seem to be escalating. The government seems desperate to maintain its facade of infallibility, no mater what the cost to its citizens.

Authoritarianism isn’t dead just because there are free trade zones and most-favored-nation trading privileges, the latter of which the United States continues to confer to China.

Yet, the question arises: What can the United States do in light of these events?

Issuing a public statement – supporting the arrested officials, and espousing the virtues of an unhindered media – would be a start, but there would be no guarantee that it would reach the people at whom it was aimed.

Still, if President George W. Bush cannot speak to the Chinese people, he can speak to the world community, and condemn China’s actions.

Freedom of the press is crucial to a modern society. China’s recent trade developments – such as opening certain sections of the country to capitalism – demonstrate that the country must adapt to modern economic demands. But if China wants to modernize its economic practices, it must also update its civil rights policies. And part of that is not silencing newspapers that dare to report the truth.

Pitt News Staff

Share
Published by
Pitt News Staff

Recent Posts

Trump wins second term, Republicans win big in Pennsylvania on Election Day

Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the United States after earning the necessary…

12 mins ago

Opinion | How did this happen?

Thomas and I spent most of the election night texting back and forth. We both…

7 hours ago

Opinion | Intimacy is not reserved for romantic relationships

Chances are, during college, you’re going to crash out over nothing and live in a…

7 hours ago

Sam Clancy: A guarantee on Pittsburgh’s Mount Rushmore

Pittsburgh is home to some of the most important figures in sports history –– so…

8 hours ago

‘I’ll get through these next four years’: Pitt students divided over Trump’s victory, with mixed emotions on campus

As the news echoes across campus, Pitt students are grappling with mixed emotions about the…

8 hours ago

Faculty Assembly discusses antisemitic violence on campus, announces antisemitic ad-hoc committee 

On Wednesday, Nov. 6., Faculty Assembly reflected on the 2024 presidential election, addressed recent acts…

8 hours ago