Author Archives: Running Dog

China shows great progress in press freedom

Posted on 2006-01-16 by Running Dog

Beijing. January 16. Xinhuanet: China has now overtaken Libya in the annual press freedom index compiled by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders organization, marking the growing opportunities for open media enquiry in the country. Since 2002, China has also moved … Continue reading →

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Kim Jung-Il in the wilderness

Posted on 2006-01-11 by Running Dog

Click for larger image Note: The following is a transcript from yesterday’s Foreign Affairs Press Briefing Q: According to South Korean media reports, North Korean Workers Party General Secretary Kim Jung-Il is in China. Can you confirm that? Kong Quan, … Continue reading →

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Censored in a ‘fundamental manner’

Posted on 2006-01-08 by Running Dog

The Beijing News first issue, featuring Bill Clinton embracing HIV-positive Song Pengfei The Coup at the Beijing News Western reports have been describing The Beijing News as a courageous, crusading newspaper, cynically punished for taking corrupt officialdom and heavy-handed government … Continue reading →

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Maowatch: Part 15,384

Posted on 2005-10-26 by Running Dog

We have often criticized the way Chairman Mao has become the be-all and end-all of all China-related journalism, and the way every desperate hack relates every possible change and every potential disaster to a ruthless Hunanese heresiarch who died nearly … Continue reading →

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Maowatch: Part 2,759

Posted on 2005-10-21 by Running Dog

So, you’re a struggling foreign correspondent desperate to write interesting stories and impress your bosses in London? Do you go to a notorious hotspot of local government violence and corruption and go half-crazy during an altercation with local hooligans? Maybe. … Continue reading →

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State-owned irony

Posted on 2005-09-26 by Running Dog

Today, The Beijing News dutifully reports on new regulations to control the internet, saying that the incitement of demonstrations on websites will now be banned. Juxtaposed with the story, however, is an admiring photograph depicting the thousands of anti-war protestors … Continue reading →

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Harbin wastes beer

Posted on 2005-08-05 by Running Dog

The picture speaks for itself. The good beer-drinking folk of Harbin have built a fountain which spurts out beer! All in order to celebrate the local Beer Festival!! My flight is already booked. Thanks to Run Doggie Dog for the … Continue reading →

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Old revolutionary hookers and hypocritical hacks

Posted on 2005-07-06 by Running Dog

It is clear that nothing excites reporters as much as a good prostitute story, especially one that manages to provide equal measures of titillation and indignation. Of course, it is usually the role of Western hacks to interpret the blossoming … Continue reading →

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Animal magic in The Beijing News

Posted on 2005-07-05 by Running Dog

(The scene: The Beijing News office, Beijing.) EDITOR: Hey, Xiao Huang. Stop playing Freecell! We have a paper to write. XIAO HUANG: Yes boss. EDITOR: That three-legged cow story was really popular, you know. Do you have any more crazy … Continue reading →

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The PLA Militia Fruit Protection Squad

Posted on 2005-06-27 by Running Dog

Supporters of the China Threat Theory – the belief that China’s rapid growth will inevitably lead to conflict – should take time to examine the true benevolence of the People’s Liberation Army and their noble efforts to ensure the quality … Continue reading →

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