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Chinese Man On Trial For Spreading False Rumors Online

Posted by Soulskill on from the rumors-on-the-internet-surely-you-jest dept.

hackingbear writes: "Qin Zhihui, a user of the Chinese Twitter-like website Weibo, has confessed in court to spreading false rumors about the Chinese government in the first public trial under a Chinese crackdown on online rumors. China has threatened criminal penalties against anyone who spreads rumors on microblogs that are reposted more than 500 times, or seen by more than 5,000 users. Qin invented a story that the government gave 200m yuan (US$32m) in compensation to the family of a foreign passenger killed in a high-speed train crash in 2011 in order to incite hatred to the government which gave much lower compensation to Chinese nationals. The Chinese government did have policies in the past to give more compensations to foreigners than locals in disasters, though those policies have been phased out in recent years. Online rumours are particularly pervasive in China, where traditional media is heavily regulated by the government and public trust in the media is low."

26 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. China oppresses free speech... by Moheeheeko · · Score: 2

    ...In related news, water is still wet. Back to you in the studio.

  2. I heard a rumor that China's official media.... by gurps_npc · · Score: 1

    actually told the truth once.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    1. Re:I heard a rumor that China's official media.... by gurps_npc · · Score: 1

      Do you have sources, or is that just a rumor?

      --
      excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
  3. is libel or slander? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    either way, it's not protected by free speech, even in the US.

    1. Re:is libel or slander? by Desler · · Score: 1

      Even in the US saying/writing something incorrect is still not libel/slander without proving malicious intent which is, as you mentioned, has a high bar. It's why the former Weekly World News, National Enquirer, etc. can get away with printing lots of nonsense.

    2. Re:is libel or slander? by cavreader · · Score: 1

      Why do you assume the American public is not capable of locating other media outlets across the world? Do you think you are some how smarter then everyone else? It's becoming harder everyday to get to the truth about anything. Media outlets with prejudicial and biased editorial lines publish nothing more than opinions which are usually derived from information taken out of context and purposely omitting any facts that would contradict the publishers predetermined stance. It's become a competition between those supporting opposite ends of any controversial issues and winning the argument is put ahead any facts that might force someone to re-examine their arguments.

    3. Re:is libel or slander? by Johann+Lau · · Score: 1

      Nowadays, all you do is hear the media's description of what the candidate is saying, and one of the strange things about it is that politics is now presented in terms of politicians and not politics. I don't think the media is interested in politics, they're interested in politicians, which is a wholly different subject... who's doing this, about their private life, about their background, about what they must be thinking, might be thinking when they said something, why did they say it; but what they say is very, very hard to hear. And I think this is, in a sense, indeed quite deliberately, destroying the genuine democratic base on which people are elected.

      -- Tony Benn (in "Orwell Rolls in his Grave", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... )

    4. Re:is libel or slander? by dbIII · · Score: 1

      Do you think you are some how smarter then everyone else?

      No. We have to hunt for news while you've got it all in "megamarts" and most see no need to go beyond Fox or whatever news source they have because it seems to provide everything.
      Even if I tune into one 24 hour radio station I get programs from four different partners around the world, and they announce who they are which makes me aware of where to look on the net for varied news sources. In a news "megamart" that doesn't happen - no perceived need to look elsewhere.

      It's becoming harder everyday to get to the truth about anything. Media outlets with prejudicial and biased editorial lines

      Yes - I saw a puff piece on Charles Manson from the History Channel FFS - they left out the chain of stupidity leading to some of his crimes to make him look like a flawless criminal mastermind. So much for it being a documentary.

      It's become a competition between those supporting opposite ends of any controversial issues

      Those millions spent on PR are clearly working. However it's spent locally so that's when the BBC or whatever becomes far more dependable than Fox when it's an issue where US PR money will be spent.

    5. Re:is libel or slander? by khallow · · Score: 1

      ala TV and so-called news which is really just a literal media monopoly

      Not even close. Though there is something of a monopsony with the US government providing news of US government activities and access to US government officials.

  4. So... by grub · · Score: 1


    ... it's kind of like a Chinese Snopes, except you go to jail rather than being unfriended.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  5. In other news... by ThatsDrDangerToYou · · Score: 1

    My penis is 3 feet long.

    1. Re:In other news... by Desler · · Score: 1

      Embryo or adult feet?

  6. HAH! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Schrodinger is right! Or isn't he?

  7. Re:I heard Wen Jiabao once shot a man in Reno... by amiga3D · · Score: 1

    I could have sworn that was a guy named Cash.

  8. Why lie? by jklovanc · · Score: 1

    The Chinese government does enough shitty stuff for real.

    1. Re:Why lie? by swaq · · Score: 1

      Perhaps even if it was true the government would still claim it was a lie?

    2. Re:Why lie? by khallow · · Score: 1

      It may not have been a lie. Sometimes people say things that turn out false. When they deliberately say falsehoods, then that's lying. And who knows, this might have actually happened and the guy is telling the truth.

    3. Re:Why lie? by jklovanc · · Score: 1

      This one is too easy to check. You ask a Chinese victim and a foreign victim how much they got paid. I also noticed that the Guardian piece did not weigh in on whether or not he lied. I would think that the reporter would check something like that.

    4. Re:Why lie? by khallow · · Score: 1

      You ask a Chinese victim and a foreign victim how much they got paid.

      The victims would be dead. You're not going to get very far with that approach. It also probably is illegal for the families of Chinese victims (should you happen to find them somehow) to give you that information. If not, the bureaucracy can always make it illegal whenever they feel like it.

    5. Re:Why lie? by jklovanc · · Score: 1

      It also probably is illegal for the families of Chinese victims (should you happen to find them somehow) to give you that information.

      Yet more baseless accusations. If you know it is illegal then prove it. Otherwise you are just spreading a rumor.

      If not, the bureaucracy can always make it illegal whenever they feel like it.

      Who cares what they can do. It is what they do is important.

    6. Re:Why lie? by khallow · · Score: 1
      China is a nation of men not laws. Their government can make illegal whatever they feel like. And they're pretty good at hiding whatever they want to hide.

      Who cares what they can do. It is what they do is important.

      Because what they can do is the primary constraint on what they actually do.

  9. The fourtuine cookie by delta98 · · Score: 1

    was a lie?

  10. A source told me he was a CIA asset by presidenteloco · · Score: 1

    developed by agent Annie Walker.

    --

    Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
  11. Libel has been around as long as the written word. by pigiron · · Score: 1

    Why is this news?

  12. Pay attention by dbIII · · Score: 2

    It could be an insight into your own future.

  13. Typo by dbIII · · Score: 1

    24 hour news radio station