Observers fear investigation intended as warning to other media
The general manager of a cutting-edge newspaper in the southern Chinese cityof Guangzhou is being investigated for corruption amid fears that thenewspaper is being targeted indirectly for its hard-hitting approach tonews, RFA's Mandarin service reports.
The Guangdong provincial news bureau issued the barest confirmation lastmonth that Yu Huafeng, general manager of the Southern City News, but other government officials refused to give any further details, reinforcingconcerns that the province may be cracking down on media organizations that report sensitive stories.
"I can't talk to you about that," an official at the Guangzhou cityinvestigation department said when contacted by RFA's Hong Kongcorrespondent Ye Ming. "You can try to find out using other channels."
According to a report in the Hong Kong-based Ming Pao newspaper, Yu and some of his colleagues at the paper will be formally charged withcorruption-related crimes. But Chinese media analysts say the veil ofsecrecy surrounding the case suggests officials are unwilling to stand up toscrutiny.
"When the media attempts to clarify the case with relevant governmentagencies but are met with closed doors, claiming ignorance or with a displayof reluctance, it clearly indicates there must be something fishy going on,"Ma Xiaoming, former reporter with state television in the northern provinceof Shaanxi.
"If the true cause is to fight corruption and eliminate other criminalactivities, then it should be a good thing. It should be widely broadcastwith enthusiasm and revealed to the public with confidence so that thepublic can understand the situation," Ma said.
In changes announced in Guangdong on Jan. 8, former provincial propagandachief Cai Dongshi was promoted to deputy provincial head of the CommunistParty committee, a vice ministerial posting, while Zhu Xiaodan was namedhead of the province's propaganda work.
The promotions came soon after the detention for questioning for one day ofCheng Yizhong, editor-in-chief of the Southern City News, which was first toreport China's first new case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)since July.
Chinese media commentators and overseas rights groups linked Cheng'sdetention and questioning to a provincial crackdown on press freedom, sayingthat the corruption investigation was a way of warning the media to becareful about reporting sensitive stories.
Since Southern City News broke the story of the first new SARS case, thegovernment has ordered all SARS-related news to be coordinated by thecentral government and be reported at the same time. Since then, it hasfallen to the Hong Kong media to take the lead in reporting new SARS casesand other sensitive stories.#####