China censors CNN SARS report

CNN.com ^ | May 14, 2003 | Jaime FlorCruz

[EternalHope]

BEIJING, China (CNN) --Chinese censors Tuesday blocked the airing of a CNN International interview that criticized the government's handling of the SARS epidemic, despite a government pledge to be more open with information.

The seven-minute segment was part of the 30-minute "Insight" program. In it, Newsday reporter Laurie Garrett, author of "The Coming Plague," commented on the decrepit state of China's public health system, and accused the government of ordering doctors to underreport the number of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.

[EternalHope]

China has ordered doctors to underreport the number of patients with SARS?

I am Shocked! Shocked, I tell you!

[Pan_Yans Wife]

"In the past several months, many CNN reports on controversial government issues -- human rights, Tibet and the Falun Gong spiritual movement -- have been blacked out.

"We regret the Chinese action and we are checking the circumstances and details of the interruption," a CNN spokesman said. "In the meantime, we will continue reporting forthrightly and responsibly on SARS and other important matters."


WAIT A MINUTE... CNN admits the censorship, admits that they do not like it and then tries to say that their reporting is forthright and responsible? They agree with the censorship?

[darkwing104]

WAIT A MINUTE... CNN admits the censorship, admits that they do not like it and then tries to say that their reporting is forthright and responsible? They agree with the censorship?


Yep. Look what they did in Sadam's Iraq

[_Jim]

Chinese censors blocked the airing of a CNN International interview that criticized

Why are you shocked?

Do you think the Chinese would just let criticism of them 'walk out the door' unchecked?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Why they are still on the air? I do not get it!

When reality is screaming that the NYTimes retained it's leading plagarist, for months, CNN is silent about murder in Baghdad, and now CNN admits that they are censored, but are still accurate in their reporting, my head is starting to spin.

I keep thinking that tomorrow, everyone will wake up, pull the plug on CNN and line the litter box with the NYTimes. But, I know that is too good to be true.

[_Jim]

DID you also know -

- that there is some south American country that is attempting to CENSOR broadcasts by another country by JAMMING a Spanish language broadcast - and that's RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN hemisphere?

Yup. On the forty-meter international shortwave broadcast band ...

[Prince Charles]

The seven-minute segment was part of the 30-minute "Insight" program. In it, Newsday reporter Laurie Garrett, author of "The Coming Plague," commented on the decrepit state of China's public health system, and accused the government of ordering doctors to underreport the number of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.

The Red Chinese are once again reverting to their natural form.

[darkwing104]

I keep thinking that tomorrow, everyone will wake up, pull the plug on CNN and line the litter box with the NYTimes. But, I know that is too good to be true.


If you want to see pure Anti-American propaganda just watch CNN international. Nice to know that the Space Alien Stories in the National Enquirer or is more credible then somebody.

[heleny]

When reality is screaming that the NYTimes retained it's leading plagarist, for months, CNN is silent about murder in Baghdad, and now CNN admits that they are censored, but are still accurate in their reporting, my head is starting to spin.

CNN admits that their reports are censored inside China, but they didn't say that they censor their Chinese news for our consumption. This admission is significantly different from what some guy said about past censored CNN reports from Iraq.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

What good is their reporting the news, if they do not get the story? They admit it today... but, what is to stop them from ignoring the difficulty, and letting us forget the censorship. Are they going to put a disclaimer on every piece that they do from China, mentioning the censorship? I noticed FOX did that prior to the war beginning, when reporting from Baghdad, but CNN didn't.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

You mean they had to ask this time?

[EternalHope]

I am shocked! Shocked, I tell you!

Since your response indicates you do not know what this comment means, I suggest you watch the movie "Casablanca". It will be time well spent, too.

[browardchad]

CNN admits that their reports are censored inside China, but they didn't say that they censor their Chinese news for our consumption.

And they didn't say they didn't censor their Chinese news for our consumption. They are simply covering their butts.

If they were reporting the truth, they would no longer have an office in China.

What this tactic boils down to is this: "Look, we really, really want to tell the truth, but the Chinese won't let us. We have to stay here, and make money by pandering to the regime and submitting to censorship, but it's not hypocritical, because we are an impartial news organization who can't be impartial under these circumstances, but we really would report the truth if we could, but we can't. Honest."

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Excellent points.

A freeper has the tagline that goes something like this...

CNN: Blood for a news bureau

or something very similar in sentiment. Wish I could remember who it is. If I see it again, I'll alert you. It really cuts to the chase in the whole argument.

[heleny]

And they didn't say they didn't censor their Chinese news for our consumption. They are simply covering their butts.

If they were reporting the truth, they would no longer have an office in China.

Sadly, I agree. What I meant was that CNN admitted nothing about the content of their China reports, unlike someone's admission about CNN's past Iraq reports.

[Future Useless Eater]

SARS Mortality Rates [reflects treatment] Based on World Health Organization daily tables                 (Revised:  May 14 pm)
Area	Recoveries to date	Deaths to date	Recent** Death Rate		Active Cases still in Danger	Projected Future Deaths	Projected Cumulative Mortality
China	1811	267	16.3%		3046	496	14.9%
Taiwan	38	30	60.6%		170	103	55.9%
Hong Kong	1128	227	20.5%		343	70	17.5%
elsewhere [30 countries]	420	63	14.6%		85	12	13.2%
World-wide [all 33 countries]	3397	587			3644	584	15.4%
**  Future deaths are based on findings from the Imperial College of London that deaths take 12 days longer on average than recoveries on average (Deaths to Date) / (Deaths to Date + Recoveries as of 12 days ago) You can click here to see if there is a pointer to a newer revision.

Observations - Treatment:
• The high death rates shown here for Taiwan appear real. Taiwan bungled its containment and had cases roaming in the public. Treatment may look so bad because many infected (but less severe) cases aren't in hospitals and aren't being counted.

Trend - Active Cases Still in Danger [reflects containment]
Date	China	Taiwan	Hong Kong	elsewhere 30 countries	World-wide all 33 countries
Apr 30	1969	41	641	170	2821
May 1	2117	61	604	129	2911
May 2	2246	67	563	117	2993
May 3	2375	67	544	111	3097
May 4 (est.)	2507	75	532	113	3227
May 5	2641	83	520	114	3358
May 6	2735	81	495	112	3423
May 7	2854	88	466	115	3523
May 8	2945	92	445	106	3588
May 9	2993	110	442	101	3646
May 10	3029	128	427	99	3683
May 11 (est.)	3049	133	413	97	3692
May 12	3068	138	399	95	3700
May 13	3061	153	374	89	3677
May 14	3046	170	343	85	3644
(includes new daily cases... excludes cases resolved by death or recovery)

Observations - Containment:
• Taiwan is still growing wildly, and with bad treatment rates too.
   ...here's Taiwan                    
  active cases QUADRUPLED in two weeks
  
  
• China may claim their spread is slowing, as they've had 2 days in the 'green'. Worldwide totals also are in the green.
• But Beijing's huge case counts are masking the rapid increases in their hinterlands.
   .....here's Hebei                     ...
  one of the most populus provinces
  active cases = 590% from 16 days earlier.
  
   .....here's Tianjin                     ...
  A Chinese municipality of almost 10 million - similar trend
  
  

[Future Useless Eater]

SARS - Treatment/Containment tables - updated with Wednesday numbers here

[neither-nor]

Why are you shocked?

Er, I think EternalHope was being sarcastic, _Jim,. From what I can see in my brief stay on FR the 'I am shocked, shocked I tell you' phrase is used to portray sarcasm, irony, ie the opposite of what is written. :)

[harpseal]

You really should get out more or at least rent the movie Casablanca. The shocked shocked line is from there and is definitely sarcasm.

[aristeides]

Thnaks for your figures. 84% of active cases now in China.