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End of an era for Chinese journalism

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End of an era for Chinese journalism Empty End of an era for Chinese journalism

Post by confuzzled dude Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:44 am

BEIJING — He was an inspiration to a generation of Chinese journalists, a writer whose belief in the power of truth symbolized an era of optimism and idealism in the profession, an editor who helped direct a surge of investigative reporting meant to defend the helpless and hold the imperious to account.

But that era of optimism is barely a memory now. Shen Hao is accused of extortion for selling news coverage and was forced to make two humiliating confessions, broadcast on state television in late 2014. His supporters see the charges as a deliberate attack on one of the pioneers of independent journalism and on ideals that have been ruthlessly crushed by the Communist Party over the past decade.

There has not yet been a trial, and defendants have little or no rights in China’s politically controlled judicial system, so it may never be clear if Shen is innocent or guilty of the charges. But his televised pretrial confessions show how due process has already been abused and how the party has already reached its own verdict in his case.
In a country where forced confessions, often under intense pressure, form the backbone of much police work, it is hard to evaluate Shen’s innocence or guilt. But friends and colleagues say the fact he has been singled out for a practice that has become commonplace in Chinese journalism — a practice that has its roots in the triple pressures of censorship, corruption and commercial survival faced by many journalists — shows that Shen simply made too many powerful enemies in his pursuit of the truth.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/arrest-of-inspirational-editor-shen-hao-marks-end-of-an-era-for-chinese-journalism/2015/01/09/4e7e9ece-8924-11e4-ace9-47de1af4c3eb_story.html

confuzzled dude

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