I am based in San Francisco.
This week, I was in the middle of "ground zero" right smack in the middle of the controversy over the Olympics torch relay in North America's only relay stop on its way to Beijing.
I must say that my respect for the Western media, as a whole, has been greatly diminished, if not destroyed.
My own personal interface with them, across the board, from Canada, Norway, Germany, and especially from the U.S., even my own supposed most liberal city, San Francisco, left me with a "bad taste" and seething anger. I know because I was interviewed first-hand by many of these supposed "journalists."
Just google me, "Edward Liu San Francisco" and you will find out more about me.
What I experienced was ignorance, cultural insensitivity, and worse, arrogance coupled by "cultural blinders" self-installed by many Westerners who harbor deep prejudices about China, its people, its culture, and civilization.
Worse, as the West, especially in Western Europe and the U.S. undergo the pains of globalization, with the fallout resulting in economic hardships, dislocations, and the erosion of the quality of life in the the West, many West have become jealous and downright hostile because of China's emergence as the "economic engine of the world."
It is very clear that India and China, two ancient civilizations have drawn attention and caused a lot of angst, anxiety, and anger from the West, especially as their societies improve, instead of regress, as is happening in many European and American cities, including my city, San Francisco.
As part of over 160 Chinese community organizations in our city mobilized to support the Beijing Olympics games , I and many other Chinese-Americans wanted to welcome the torch relay and simply experience the spirit of "One World, One Harmony" like many others who believe in this theme.
Instead, the San Francisco torch relay was sidetracked and exploited by dark forces bent on kidnapping this relay to their own mischievous political causes and policitising the whole thing.
And behind it, the Western news media played their roles as amplifier, co-producer, co-director, co-cameramen, co-actors, co-actresses in this pre-set script to push the "Team Tibet-Shangri-La-Dalai Lama" anti-China narrative and movie.
Worst, what I saw and experienced, was that many Western news media reporters were using the relay to make the news and filter the news through their "protest lenses" to dramatise their biases, prejudices, and a pre-set script to push for the "Team Tibet Shangri-La Dalai Lama" narrative. In so doing, they, in a sinister and highly unprofessional way, drowned out everything else except the dramatization and amplication of the protests.
Those of us who showed up to demonstrate our welcome and support of the Beijing Olympics Games were drowned out, ignored, and disrespectfully portrayed as "agents of the Chinese government," "shills for China," and against human rights causes. This is not just China Bashing but Chinese Demonization.
Our side of the counter-narrative, pro-Beijing Olympics, was not only distorted, ignored, and blockaded by the Western news media.
This included our local newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle. This in America's most historic, most unique Chinese enclave, the way station for the historic influx and immigration of Chinese settlers in America.
In the din of this reckless and irresponsible reporting, one local columnist, C.W. Nevius, even had the audacity of accusing those of us who mobilized to welcome the torch relay as attempting "to take over San Francisco." Many of his fellow colleagues even implied that we were "bused" by the local Chinese consulate to create a public relations spectacle.
At ground zero, I said this to the Western news reporters who refused to cover our side of the story. Worse, many distorted the picture and filtered the news coverage, according to their own biases and prejudices.
"What good is a free press when you are an irresponsible press ?"
"What good is free speech when you don't exercise it civilly and simply scream, insult, and yell at others who may not share the same views as yours ?"
Many in the West have accused China of disallowing access to cover the Tibet riots which erupted in Lhasa, Tibet; their news media have accused China of not allowing freedom of the press.
I say to them," You have access here in San Francisco. Why not cover us who are supportive of Beijing's hosting of the Olympics games?" "Why do you not see us, listen to us and simply focuse on those who oppose the Beijing Olympics games ?"
"You have access here; yet you refuse to cover us and our side of the welcoming narrative; and instead, you become an amplifier for "Team Tibet-Shangri-La-Dalai Lama" ?
"Worse, you become complicit in hate-mongering and China-bashing."
"What good is access when you look but don't see ? Hear but not listen? "
What good is it if you don't exercise your press freedom responsibly ?
Clearly, accuracy, fairness, and balance were trampled in San Francisco on April 9, 2008 here in San Francisco.
On the San Francisco leg of the Beijing Olympics relay, ignorance, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness won. Civility and Mutual Respect lost out.
Let's work to improve upon our game as ethnic Chinese overseas who firmly believe in our "Third Space" vision and agenda.
I am outraged by the China Bashing and Chinaman lynching that day.
And shame on the English language and European news media at ground zero of the San Francisco leg of the Beijing Olympics 2008 torch relay.
Clearly, they are using the Bejing Olympics games as a platform to badmouth China and its government. And in this din, the peoples of China were insulted, disrespected, and sacrificed in their "menu of the day" to cover China through their "protest lenses."
And in so doing, they have recklessly and irresponsibly ignored that it is the Chinese peoples games and it is those who may have some genuine grievances against some of their government policies, but nonetheless that these games and their stories must be covered and be reported responsibly.
We need to call the Western news media on this. And in particular, I want to call upon the world to call upon your news media organizations in the area where you reside, as I have with our local newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, for their irresponsible reporting.
And we who have this "Third Space" eye must not let it go without calling it as we see it.
Bias. Prejudices. And worse. Racism against the Chinese people must not be tolerated.
We are no longer the "sick men" of Asia. We have our rights to be at the global table.
