A couple of days back, I linked to an alert about the local government led assault on Chinese journalists covering the Fenghuang bridge collapse in Hunan. More details:
…At that time, the People's Daily reporter Wang Weijian stood up and stood in front of the other four reporters. Since Wang had the work permit, he pointed to his own face and told the man in white: "You hit me in my face. You can hit me hard." Of course, the man was scared to hit his face, but he continued to hit the rest of us. At that time, Wang saw that the situation was getting out of control and he took out his press card. He said, "I am from the People's Daily." Then they stopped, even though they still wanted to charge at us!
These were cadre from the local Agricultural Department (what they had to do with a collapsing bridge I have no idea). We learn that they stopped assaulting the journalists when one of them said he was from Renmin Ribao. Twenty years ago, cadre from a county agricultural department would have wet their knickers at the sight of a People’s Daily reporter, rather than just being barely able to restrain themselves, since the PD is the official voice of Party central. Apart from anything else it’s an interesting glimpse of changing power relations within the Chinese state.
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