CNN: What's wrong with you?
Updated: 2008-04-02 15:38
Domestic netizens
Rao Jin, 23-year-old, graduating from Engineering Physics Department of Tsinghua University, runs his own IT company now. Rao was shocked by hearing the news when he talked with his friends studying abroad about Lhasa riots.
Rao: My friends living abroad are so angry to see full-pages coverage about Tibet riots with many fake pictures from Western newspapers. I am also furious. I know the media report would feature with some subjectivity in reporting, but you can't fabricate fact and create something from nothing whatever standpoint you hold.
The dishonest reports on Lhasa riots from CNN, BBC, Germany's RTL and other Western mainstream media ignite strong repulsion among Chinese netizens.
Netizen: I get angry by seeing these distorted reports. Obviously, they are falsified completely.
Netizen: Naturally, the first reaction from Chinese is fury. However, Chinese are rational facing with these fake reports and fight back reasonably. Meanwhile, we are showing our passion and patriotism.
Rao Jin and some netizens have an idea when discussing about this case on the net.
Rao: Some netizens suggest us how to fight back and gain speaking right. So I think we should speak out our thoughts and let the westerners learn about the truth.
With support from netizens, Rao Jin launched a website named anti-cnn.com on March 20 to collect, arrange and publish evidences of distorted reports from Western media. Nearly 2,000 netizens post articles within several days. Rao put the articles on the net after verifying their content, including fake reports from Western mainstream media CNN, Fox, BBC, Times, Germany's RTL television station.
Rao: For example, a net voting titled 'Is China a good country to host the Olympics?' is launched by Toronto Star on March 24. But till now the result on its website shows that 76 percent voters support China to host 2008 Games and 23 percent are negative. However, it turned out 17 percent positive and 82 vote against when they publish the result on the newspaper. They made the vote questionnaire and the result is clear on their website now. Unquestionably, it is a big lie.
The posts on anti-cnn.com are reposted and shared on other BBS by netizens in a short time. The present number of visits of the websit exceeds 500,000 everyday, including 60 percent hits from domestic netizens and 40 percent abroad. The increasing visits to anti-cnn.com draw attention of Western media and some imagine that it gains support from the Chinese government and the netizens are hired by the government.
Rao: Their question is inevitable but ridiculous. The website is worked out volunteerly by netizens and run by netizens. We received several hundred of E-mail from netizens in less one day when the website went into operation. Many netizens wanted to be volunteers, helping collecting facts, constructing website and translating. During the whole process, no government organ or anyone connected with me.
Overseas netizens
Netizens home and abroad are joining in the fight through the Internet. To unveil the truth is their common objective.
Wang Ping, living in America for 6 years, is an employee of a company. He read the reports about Lhasa riots from local media in mid-March.
Wang: Although we don't learn so much about Tibet riots, direct perception tells me it’s wrong, because these media always exaggerate reports on China's affair. When I telephoned with my friends at home, I know some reports are fraud.
Under the influence from local media fake repots, some professors with little knowledge about Tibet riots in America are publicly support Tibet issue.
Wang: They (the professors) are totally ignorant of fact. I feel so angry.
In order to let more people know about truth of Lhasa riots, Wang started to collect materials and sent E-mails to these professors respectively. I told them the average span of Tibetan people and the infant mortality rate in the past and present. I will post some memories written by Tibetan people on the Internet and let more people learn about Tibet.
During the interview, Wang always insisted that what he could do is limited. To reveal the truth of Lhasa riot more Chinese living overseas do what they could like Wang.
"The Lhasa riot has left a 'legacy' to the Chinese people. It could also be seen as a mirror that reflected the true faces of some people in the international community," said Qin Gang, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman, in response to the different reactions of some western media and Chinese netizens on the riot in Lhasa. "The coverage of the riots in Tibet by some Western media was a textbook of bad examples, which we Chinese people can learn from. What in all events are the so-called fairness and objectivity boosted by some western media?
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