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Journalist hero in '08 exposed tainted milk while others curdled
By Ni Tao |
January 8, 2009, Thursday
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KUDOS to reporter Jian Guangzhou, and the Oriental Morning Post.
Jian, a national reporter on the Post, first blew the whistle on September 11 on Sanlu Group, the dairy company that was behind the tainted baby formula scandal. Six infants died and more than 294,000 others were sickened after consuming melamine-laced milk powder produced by Sanlu.
In doing so, Jian saved the lives of countless children whose parents were then still in the dark about the dangerous nature of the formula they fed their babies.
As a tribute to his distinguished work, the New Weekly magazine honored Jian on December 17 as the "most outstanding figure of the year" on the occasion of releasing its annual list that chronicles social phenomena and people who made a difference.
Jian's achievement cannot be praised too highly. Before his expose of Sanlu's wrongdoing, reports had already surfaced in early September that 14 babies in Gansu Province had developed kidney-related ailments as a direct result of drinking tainted formula - the brand was not disclosed.
Apparently, other media balked at naming Sanlu, fearing the prospect of endless lawsuits for "libel," or worse forms of reprisal.
Indeed, muckraking is not nearly as easy as some might think. When Upton Sinclair exposed in his novel "The Jungle" (1906) the "fetid workshop and maimed limbs" story of the US meatpacking industry, he ran the risk of being harassed and targeted by angry factory owners.
But Chinese journalists face a graver threat when they try to push the envelope in investigations.
Despite the central government's repeated calls for improving food safety surveillance by allowing more media scrutiny, journalists looking into possible quality problems are still dreaded and kept at bay now and then by ethically bankrupt businesses - often in cahoots with corrupt officials.
That makes Jian's bravery (and that of his editors, of course) all the more remarkable.
According to his account, the day after the Post ran his story, he received dozens of phone calls from Sanlu's PR staff, telling him some basic facts in his reporting were "distorted" and trying to cajole the paper into withdrawing the article from its Website - or else.
Jian didn't mince words, and the paper was steadfast in seeking the truth.
Their tenacity paid off, as it not only saved lives, but also touched off an unprecedented accountability storm that engulfed the country's problematic dairy industry.
With his coverage, Jian, previously a prosaic "petty reporter" as he described himself, joined a long list of renowned muckrakers, including Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens and Seymour Hersh.
Jian radiates the aura of a man who upholds his moral standards even under great pressure.
A noble calling
On second thought, however, do we really need to put him on a pedestal just for doing what a journalist is meant to do? It is certainly an exaggeration to hail Jian as China's lone conscience. Even he himself admitted that.
"I couldn't sleep a wink at night after my article was published," he recalled, adding that like other honest journalists, he also feared retribution.
Besides, the fact that his article brought down a homegrown food giant, and jeopardized the livelihoods of thousands of Sanlu workers gnawed at his mind.
But his brief bouts of Stockholm syndrome ended with the sight of hospitalized babies suffering with catheters and anguished parents who had purchased Sanlu products out of love for their children.
It was only then that Jian was fully convinced of the righteousness of his act.
Elevating Jian as an eminent reporter happened almost overnight, and his rise was, in a way, as dramatic as Sanlu's demise - it has filed for bankruptcy.
But there is nothing mysterious about Jian's attainments.
Whereas some journalists (often those covering unsafe mining and industries) are well known to accept money to lie in print, Jian didn't lose his moral compass for easy "gag fee."
Whereas many choose to appease rather than challenge corporate abuses, Jian stood up to them. That's what makes the best journalism a noble calling.
Jian, a national reporter on the Post, first blew the whistle on September 11 on Sanlu Group, the dairy company that was behind the tainted baby formula scandal. Six infants died and more than 294,000 others were sickened after consuming melamine-laced milk powder produced by Sanlu.
In doing so, Jian saved the lives of countless children whose parents were then still in the dark about the dangerous nature of the formula they fed their babies.
As a tribute to his distinguished work, the New Weekly magazine honored Jian on December 17 as the "most outstanding figure of the year" on the occasion of releasing its annual list that chronicles social phenomena and people who made a difference.
Jian's achievement cannot be praised too highly. Before his expose of Sanlu's wrongdoing, reports had already surfaced in early September that 14 babies in Gansu Province had developed kidney-related ailments as a direct result of drinking tainted formula - the brand was not disclosed.
Apparently, other media balked at naming Sanlu, fearing the prospect of endless lawsuits for "libel," or worse forms of reprisal.
Indeed, muckraking is not nearly as easy as some might think. When Upton Sinclair exposed in his novel "The Jungle" (1906) the "fetid workshop and maimed limbs" story of the US meatpacking industry, he ran the risk of being harassed and targeted by angry factory owners.
But Chinese journalists face a graver threat when they try to push the envelope in investigations.
Despite the central government's repeated calls for improving food safety surveillance by allowing more media scrutiny, journalists looking into possible quality problems are still dreaded and kept at bay now and then by ethically bankrupt businesses - often in cahoots with corrupt officials.
That makes Jian's bravery (and that of his editors, of course) all the more remarkable.
According to his account, the day after the Post ran his story, he received dozens of phone calls from Sanlu's PR staff, telling him some basic facts in his reporting were "distorted" and trying to cajole the paper into withdrawing the article from its Website - or else.
Jian didn't mince words, and the paper was steadfast in seeking the truth.
Their tenacity paid off, as it not only saved lives, but also touched off an unprecedented accountability storm that engulfed the country's problematic dairy industry.
With his coverage, Jian, previously a prosaic "petty reporter" as he described himself, joined a long list of renowned muckrakers, including Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens and Seymour Hersh.
Jian radiates the aura of a man who upholds his moral standards even under great pressure.
A noble calling
On second thought, however, do we really need to put him on a pedestal just for doing what a journalist is meant to do? It is certainly an exaggeration to hail Jian as China's lone conscience. Even he himself admitted that.
"I couldn't sleep a wink at night after my article was published," he recalled, adding that like other honest journalists, he also feared retribution.
Besides, the fact that his article brought down a homegrown food giant, and jeopardized the livelihoods of thousands of Sanlu workers gnawed at his mind.
But his brief bouts of Stockholm syndrome ended with the sight of hospitalized babies suffering with catheters and anguished parents who had purchased Sanlu products out of love for their children.
It was only then that Jian was fully convinced of the righteousness of his act.
Elevating Jian as an eminent reporter happened almost overnight, and his rise was, in a way, as dramatic as Sanlu's demise - it has filed for bankruptcy.
But there is nothing mysterious about Jian's attainments.
Whereas some journalists (often those covering unsafe mining and industries) are well known to accept money to lie in print, Jian didn't lose his moral compass for easy "gag fee."
Whereas many choose to appease rather than challenge corporate abuses, Jian stood up to them. That's what makes the best journalism a noble calling.
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