Comments on: Lu Banglie lives, story dies?

By: info-ninja » What is a media-hacker?

info-ninja » What is a media-hacker? — Mon, 22 May 2006 09:33:05 +0000

[...] Source: SeanBohan.com Phrase coined, I think, by Ethan Zuckerman, of My Heart’s in Accra and the now award-winning Global Voices. Media hacking means something like using blogging and internet statistics to get the inside story on where stories are being read and how they are being used. There are some good examples of the practice here and here. [...]

By: Player 0

Player 0 — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 23:14:56 +0000

It never ceases to please me to see western media, particularly the guardian, being shown up for the sensationalist anti-sino trash that it is, thank for this blogpost, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

By: andy

andy — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 05:03:30 +0000

I think if there were one reason and one reason only for the story dying, the survival of Lu would be it.
But there is also now the added problem of no fresh developments. Taishi might be an incredibly important issue, but nothing visible’s happening. It’s hard to sell no-news to news organisations.
It’s hard to write a story that says: nobody has any idea what’s going on in Taishi, but trust me, it’s very important. As to a timeline, take a look at it in EastSouthWest: long, third-hand and old, very old.
By sealing off the village, the local authorities seem to have successfully stifled any meaningful coverage of the unthinkable events going on inside.
That just leaves watching Beijing. I’m guessing they will keep face, keep mum, see no evil etc. I think in the end Taishi falls victim to the inevitably shallow nature of most mainland China news reporting:
Ongoing long-term endemic problem? Can you simplify it into a human interest/human rights angle? No? Then pass.
Immediate, sexy thrill? “SuperGirl” you say? Give us 1,000 words by tomorrow, with pictures.

By: Ethan

Ethan — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 22:17:02 +0000

It’s a good question, Adam. For me, covering the story has meant trying to tease out a simple timeline and offer some context for why the story is relavent in the face of larger issues about China. But I agree – it’s hard to understand without a much better understanding of China, village life in China and Chinese politics than I currently have…

By: Adam Shostack

Adam Shostack — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:30:08 +0000

Thanks for covering the story. I think when you say ” But without the hook of an activist killed by thugs, the complex unanswered questions…” you’re exactly on. I don’t know where to start exploring the story, or how to cover it in anything approaching a useful or meaningful way for my readers.