Posted on 07/18/2007 9:10:02 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
China reporter held for fake cardboard-in-buns story
19 Jul 2007 01:57:16 GMT Source: Reuters
BEIJING, July 19 (Reuters) - Beijing police have detained a television reporter for fabricating an investigative story about steamed buns stuffed with cardboard at a time when China's food safety is under intense international scrutiny.
A report directed by Beijing TV and played on state-run national broadcaster China Central Television last Thursday said an unlicensed snack vendor in eastern Beijing was selling steamed dumplings stuffed with cardboard soaked in caustic soda and seasoned with pork flavouring.
Beijing authorities said investigations had found that an employee surnamed Zi had fabricated the report to garner "higher audience ratings", the China Daily said on Thursday.
"Zi had provided all the cardboard and asked the vendor to soak it. It's all cheating," the paper quoted a government notice as saying.
A city-wide inspection of steamed bun vendors in the wake of the report had found no such cases, the paper said.
Beijing TV had apologised for failing to check the report's authenticity and said it would make efforts to improve staff ethics, the paper added.
China is reeling from a series of tainted food and drug scandals that have sparked criticism at home and abroad.
The deaths of patients in Panama from mislabelled drug ingredients from China, deadly toxins in pet food exported to the United States and food laced with hazardous antibiotics and chemicals have raised fears about the safety of China's surging exports.
On Wednesday, Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to improve food safety in a meeting with a visiting Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono, Kyodo news agency reported.
Tahe them to your local archaeology laboratory. They use the flats as trays for sorting artifacts and drying them after they are washed...
More executions on the way? Maybe they should have them on pay-per-view...
This reporter is in a world of hurt.
What a goofy retort (Dr.?). Stay away from your patients med's, that's a no no. Blackbird.
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