It’s no longer a secret that foreign correspondents in China have a difficult working life. Especially if a news case heavily censored by government officials becomes the focus of foreign media attention. The attack on BBC correspondent Stephen McDonell, who reported the horrific news in the southern city of Zhuhai yesterday, was the latest in a long series since the spread of nationalism promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The incident was censored by Chinese authorities
McDonell, the British broadcaster’s China correspondent, was reporting on the accident that occurred yesterday near the Zhuhai sports centre, in which a car plowed into a crowd, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 40. Just last night, local police announced that the 62-year-old SUV driver, who was unhappy with the terms of the divorce, would act voluntarily to vent his personal disappointment.
Meanwhile, city authorities in southern China removed wreaths, candles and offerings placed at the site of the country’s deadliest mass shooting in a decade as the government rushed to respond and censor online outrage. Many users on Chinese social media platforms questioned whether the incident was nothing more than an expression of deeper social problems. Many posts, comments, and articles about the Zhuhai incident were blacked out by censors. In China, it is common for censors to quickly remove social media posts linked to high-profile criminal incidents, often considered politically sensitive topics.
The car plowed into the crowd in the stadium: 35 dead, more than 40 injured
To quell controversy over the government’s lack of transparency in its handling of the incident, Xi called for “strengthening risk prevention and control and prompt resolution of conflicts and disputes” and promised “stern punishment” for the person responsible for the accident.
Attack on journalist
Now back to the BBC reporter. On live television yesterday, McDonell was interrupted as he reconstructed the horrific news story by a man who lunged at him and tried to wrest the camera from the cameraman’s hands. During the discussion, the Chinese man asked the reporter if he had a journalist card and said: “You are filming and reporting something that is happening in China: are you allowed to do that?” Before the attack, the man (seen wearing a green T-shirt in the video) had filmed and photographed the journalist along with other people.
As McDonell noted in an article, when sensitive stories like this are reported in China, local Communist Party officials often pretend to be angry citizens, urging groups of people to target foreign journalists and prevent media coverage of a particular event. In his X profile, McDonell emphasizes that he was not the only foreign correspondent to be filmed and attacked while trying to cover what happened in Zhuhai.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
