Western media repeats tragedy as farce

A lengthy article by Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of The Australian, on Thursday instructing notorious Uygur separatist Rebiya Kadeer how to counter the Chinese government is a naked violation of journalistic ethics.

During Kadeer's visit to Australia, Sheridan wrote another article in Australia's largest circulated newspaper, "praising" her "courage" to confront the Chinese government.

In Thursday's article, titled "Uygurs must fight for rights within China", Sheridan said Kadeer should leave aside her campaign for a separate state for a while as the appeal for "Xinjiang's independence" would not find a foothold in the international community and was likely to be snubbed by the West.

Kadeer should "concentrate instead on human rights, cultural autonomy and democracy", to win the support of and aid from Western nations, Sheridan wrote.

He lauded the weeklong visit of the self-appointed leader of the separatist World Uygur Congress to Australia, saying it would "change the course of Chinese politics".

It is difficult to understand why Sheridan dropped professional ethics of objectivity and fairness and openly played the role of an "adviser" to a foreign separatist.

What Sheridan has done is not a stray case. For some time now, a number of Western "journalists" have been involved in activities that not only violate professional ethics, but also disregard basic moral norms.

A section of the Western media has given a silent burial to unbiased and balanced reporting, and resorted to spreading lies. After the March 14, 2008, riot in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, some Western media spared no efforts in spreading lies.

Following the July 5 riots in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, some Western media outlets returned to their old habit and began carrying one-sided reports, such as interviews with Kadeer, to spread the lies propagated by separatists. They used words such as "reportedly" and "allegedly" to report on the riots, without bothering to verify the facts. Some even distorted the truth and used fabricated evidence to support their cooked-up stories.

After the Lhasa riot, a well-known broadcaster posted a report, titled "Tibetans describe continuing unrest", on its website with a photograph showing policemen and paramilitary personnel helping medical workers rescue the injured. The caption for the photograph ignored "Emergency Treatment", written in bold letters on the ambulances beside the security personnel, and unashamedly declared: "There is a heavy military presence in Lhasa".

While covering the July 5 riots in Urumqi, some Western journalists played the role of "news directors" and "actors", inducing people to shout slogans, and train their cameras on them "in line with their requirements".

Some foreign media labeled unfounded accusations against the authorities. French daily Le Monde called China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region "East Turkistan", which never existed, and accused China of "colonizing" the region.

A year after the Lhasa riot, a section of the Western media and unethical journalists have rushed back to create a similar farce. The only explanation for their action is they are hellbent on spreading lies and hatred by ignoring the truth and burying their professional ethics to become tools, knowingly or unknowingly, in the hands of forces out to demonize China.

The distorted reports once again shatter the self-styled "just and objective" image of some Western media outlets. Many readers have protested against Sheridan's article, loaded as it is with paranoia and ill intentions. And the online version of his anti-China rant has come under fire from netizens around the world.

Journalistic ethics says it's the readers and viewers who have the right to judge news, just like a Chinese proverb says: "The people's eyes are bright and discerning."

In the era of globalization, an increasing number of Westerners are learning more about the real China amid expanding exchanges in various sectors. They know what the real story is, and justifiably do not accord any importance to the now customary anti-China ranting.

The Western media and journalists should learn a lesson from Sheridan's case or they, too, will become a laughing stock around the world.

Xinhua

(China Daily 08/18/2009 page9)