Chinese Reporters Strike To Protest Removal Of Editor

The whiff of freedom?

ONE of China’s most outspoken newspapers was plunged into chaos after 100 reporters took the rare step of walking out in protest against the dismissal of their Editor-in-Chief [for "political reasons"].

...

His departure and the journalists’ defiance are part of a long struggle between Communist Party censors intent on controlling public access to information, and newspapers and magazines keen to attract readers. Party officials singled out the Beijing News for criticism at a meeting on December 6, when they decided to strengthen the party’s control over tabloid papers. The Beijing News had “committed errors in the orientation of opinion” and was a “recidivist”, officials said.

But you know, things are hardly any better here. Bush denies "access" to reporters. So, in my book, if you won't talk to David Gregory, that's pretty much the equivalent of seizing the nation's media and firing "recidivist" editors.

Thanks to Allah.

Related: Controversial death-sentence carried out secretly; debate about it censored. Only now is news that a murderer (he does appear to have been a criminal murderer) was put to death after a rigged trial.

The article notes that the Chinese are beginning to suspect that the Chinese death-chambers, killing more than 10,000 people per year, might be killing a good number of innocent people.

I don't want to prejudge the program before all the facts are in, but I think they might be on to something with that suspicion.