Young clerk let Tiananmen ad slip past censors: paper

Reuters ^ | 06 June 2007 | Reuters

[BGHater]

A young clerk with no knowledge of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown allowed a tribute to victims slip into the classified ads page of a newspaper in southwest China, a Hong Kong daily reported on Wednesday.

The tiny ad in the lower right corner of page 14 of the Chengdu Evening News on Monday night, read: "Paying tribute to the strong(-willed) mothers of June 4 victims".

An investigation was launched by Chinese authorities to find out how the advertisement slipped its way past censors.

Public discussion of the massacre is still taboo in Beijing and the government has rejected calls to overturn the verdict that the student-led demonstrations were "counter-revolutionary", or subversive. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, were killed when the army crushed the pro-democracy protests on June 4, 1989.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post said a young woman on the Chengdu Evening News classified section had allowed the ad to be published because she'd never heard of the June 4 crackdown.

A man gave the advertisement to the clerk, who had recently graduated and worked for an advertising company responsible for receiving content for the ads section, the Post reported.

"She called the man back two days later to check what June 4 meant and the man said it was (a date on which) a mining disaster took place," the Post quoted a source at the paper as saying.

"This highlights (the fact) that the government needs to face up to history," the paper quoted the source as saying.

References to the massacre are barred in state media, the Internet and printed works, meaning many of China's younger generation are ignorant of the events.

[Emile]

Suppression of information has unintended consequences, no?

Those purveyors of PC in this country who teach selective history might take a lesson from this.

[EternalVigilance]

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

[GoldCountryRedneck]

I heard that the clerk was named Hei Di Soon...

[KarlInOhio]

I watched a show about the man who stood in front of the tank at Tiananmen Square (I forget if it was PBS, History Channel or something else). On that show they pointed out how the Chinese have tried to erase the fight there from their history. The interviewer asked a group of Chinese college students what "Tiananmen Square" meant, and after many talked along the official party line about the location, one of them whispered something like "weren't a lot of people killed there once?"

I could see how some young Chinese wouldn't have the slightest idea what someone was slipping into the newspaper. Good for those who did it. I hope they survive their little bit of rebellion.

[Captain Rhino]

Consider the amount of FEAR the PRC government must have if, after nearly two decades, this very short, obscure memorial to the victims on page 14 of a distant regional newspaper produces such a reaction from the center.

Sort of matches up with the PRC government’s hypersensitivity about recent reports of tainted Chinese export products. Don’t work harder to get a handle on shoddy manufacturing practices. Just shout slander and make countercharges.

Hardly a model of confident governance.

[dfwgator]

I was monitoring Radio Beijing during the protests, and I heard this live on June 4th, I was able to find the transcript on the Internet, and it's pretty much what I recalled hearing:

"Please remember June the Third, 1989. The most tragic event happened in the Chinese Capital, Beijing. Thousands of people, most of them innocent civilians, were killed by fully-armed soldiers when they forced their way into city. Among the killed are our colleagues at Radio Beijing.

The soldiers were riding on armored vehicles and used machine guns against thousands of local residents and students who tried to block their way. When the army conveys made the breakthrough, soldiers continued to spray their bullets indiscriminately at crowds in the street. Eyewitnesses say some armored vehicles even crushed foot soldiers who hesitated in front of the resisting civilians.

Radio Beijing English Department deeply mourns those who died in the tragic incident and appeals to all its listeners to join our protest for the gross violation of human rights and the most barbarous suppression of the people.

Because of the abnormal situation here in Beijing there is no other news we could bring you. We sincerely ask for your understanding and thank you for joining us at this most tragic moment."

The next English broadcast of Radio Beijing, echoed the "Party Line."

[weegee]

Those responsible for the error have been sacked.

And those responsible for the sacking have been sacked.

Moosebites can be rather nasty.

[HamiltonJay]

Yes, yes, but if we just keep sending them our hard won wealth so they can use it to build up their military, they will become liberated and democratic and be no threat to anyone... /SARCASM

[weegee]

I have a cassette with the original report and a followup broadcast that declared the initigal report an error.

WFMU made a cassette of radio cuts from the 1930s-1980s (some news, some hosts, some odd stuff).

[dfwgator]

I wonder whatever happened to that brave reporter.

[ßuddaßudd]

You funny Redneck !!!!