Bloomberg News Suspends Reporter Who Wrote Article on China

[W.G.Ewald]

A reporter for Bloomberg News who worked on an unpublished article about China, which employees for the company said had been killed for political reasons by top Bloomberg editors, was suspended last week by managers. ..

[E]ditors, led by Matthew Winkler, the editor in chief, decided in late October not to publish an investigative article because of fears that Bloomberg would be expelled from China.

The article, about a Chinese tycoon and his ties to families of Communist Party leaders, was written by Mr. Forsythe and Shai Oster. Mr. Winkler has denied that the article was killed. ..

Last week, after the allegations of self-censorship were published, reporters and editors in the Bloomberg bureau in Hong Kong who had worked on the unpublished article were called into a series of meetings, Bloomberg employees said. They were asked questions about the news reports face to face and through conference calls with top editors and executives based in Hong Kong and New York, the employees said.

No doubt the censored story will be published elsewhere, but Chinese control of the foreign press in Honk Kong is insidious.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Xi Jinping Millionaire Relations Reveal Fortunes of Elite - Bloomberg

 

[W.G.Ewald]

In what appears to be a conspicuous show of displeasure, Chinese authorities conducted unannounced "inspections" at Bloomberg News bureaus in Beijing and Shanghai in the final days of November, Fortune has learned. The visits followed media reports that Bloomberg cancelled a year-long investigation on financial ties between a Chinese billionaire and government officials. Bloomberg's decision to cancel the article was apparently intended to avoid antagonizing the Chinese government"¦. Instead of soothing the government, Winkler's reported comment appears to have stirred anger. During the visits, Fortune is told, at least one Chinese official asked the company for an apology from Winkler.

Report: Chinese conducted unannounced 'inspections' of Bloomberg News bureaus - POLITICO.com

 

[Yusuf]

Upholders of freedom or speech and expression get scared by those who don't.

 

[Known_Unknown]

How is this different from the NYT and WaPo making decisions on what to publish and what not to based on "feedback" from the US government? "Free" media is non-existent, they are in reality controlled by corporate interests who make editorial decisions based on what makes them money and does not get them into trouble with the government, whether that government be the Chinese or US or any other.

At least the Chinese government is open and honest about its censorship unlike the USG. Last I heard the USG still had a sealed indictment against the editor of Wikileaks.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

In fact US government is becoming as repressive as government of China. Obama has said he would prefer to be president of China.