A reporter from China Central TV, China's national TV station,
was attacked Wednesday by the director and workers of a factory
while investigating pollution problems.
Xu Xiangyu, a reporter with the News Center of CCTV, was
stopped by the factory director and robbed of a video camera when
he went to investigate pollution problems at Xuanbao Joint Cokeoven
Plant, in Baode County, north China's Shanxi
Province. The factory director threw away Xu's press card and
ordered the factory workers to attack him.
About ten minutes later, the law enforcement group of the State
Environmental Protection Administration, who went to the county
with Xu, arrived and prevented further disturbances.
Xu got his camera back with the help of the deputy magistrate of
Baode County and the director of the county's Environmental
Protection Bureau.
The State Environmental Protection Administration extended their
regards to Xu and asked its law enforcement group in that county to
protect the reporter and his right to investigate.
China's Reporter's Day fell on Nov 8 and the state media jointly
made a declaration to prevent corruption in news reporting and
violations of journalistic ethics. However, infringements of
reporters' rights is also a very serious problem.
Reporters in China enjoy a high status and are expected to speak
in the public interest, but their coverage of negative stories also
makes enemies.
(Xinhua News Agency?November 14, 2003)