Relief, disbelief and confusion were evident on the streets of
Beijing after the widely aired TV news report about dumpling makers
using cardboard as an ingredient was exposed as a hoax.
Chen Huiqin, a retired middle school teacher from Shanghai, said
the hoax was beyond belief.
"I guess government departments must be hoping to reduce the
negative impact on the public by declaring the TV news report a
hoax," she said.
A cab driver, who asked to be identified only by his surname
Liu, agreed, saying he could not believe the investigative TV news
report aired by Beijing TV on July 8 was a fabrication.
"It's not just me, most of my customers didn't believe it was a
hoax either," said Liu. "But to avoid eating cardboard dumplings, I
only eat meat dumplings at established restaurants."
An Internet user from east China's Zhejiang Province, wrote in a
posting on Sina.com, "It cannot be a hoax, but calling it a
fabricated report must be intended to serve the purpose of a
harmonious society."
A woman living in an apartment near Panjiayuan, southeastern
Beijing, who gave her surname as Chen, said she was totally
confused about the "cardboard dumplings" reports.
"It was awful to watch the pictures -- soaking cardboard in
water with caustic soda, chefs chopping the soaked cardboard, the
oven used for stewing the cardboard -- but those pictures seemed so
real," said the middle-aged woman. "It doesn't matter if it was a
lie, I'm going to avoid all filled dumplings."
However, the announcement that the news report was fabricated
did bring a relief to an office worker surnamed Bai.
"I love meat dumplings. But several days back, my mom told me
about the TV report and warned me not to eat them anymore," said
Bai. "I did obey her, but when I heard the report was made up early
on Thursday, I felt so relieved, I ran out and bought six meat
dumplings for five yuan."
Beijing Television aired the investigative report on Beijing
dumpling makers using cardboard as an ingredient in a slot known as
"Transparency" on the Life Channel on July 8.
The so-called cardboard meat buns gained more publicity on July
11 when CCTV also broadcast the report by Zi Beijia, a temporary
employee of Beijing TV, sparking a public outcry.
However, late on Wednesday, Beijing TV admitted the expose was
in fact a hoax. The TV service apologized in an evening news
program on Wednesday for having aired the fabricated report
produced by Zi with a home digital video camera.
The next day, the All-China Journalists Association (ACJA)
released a statement criticizing journalists involved in the
fabricated report, saying it "severely violated journalistic ethics
and severely tarnished the image and social credibility of the
Chinese media".
It carried on to say the report had "severely ruined the
reputation of the State" and made the public "astonished and
angry".
"The ACJA, on behalf of journalism professionals all over the
country, strongly condemns the fabrication and urges the media to
take feasible and cogent measures to put an end to news
fabrication," the statement said.
"Authenticity is the lifeblood of journalism and ensuring
authenticity of news reports is the basic professional ethic of
journalists and a social responsibility which journalists must
bear."
Six workers at Beijing TV were either criticized, reprimanded or
sacked for their roles in the report.
The head of Beijing Television Station, Liu Aiqin, was publicly
reprimanded, and editor-in-chief Zhang Xiao was given a warning.
One deputy editor-in-chief was given a demerit, said sources close
to the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China
(CPC).
All three were asked to compose self-criticisms.
The deputy director in charge of the Life Channel of the TV
service -- the director's post is vacant -- and the producer and a
deputy director in charge of the Transparency program were
sacked.
Police have arrested the reporter, Zi Beijia, a temporary
employee.
Beijing TV has also terminated the contracts of editorial staff
on the Transparency program.
(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2007)