Recent congressional testimony about family planning and population control
MSTKG Reader and Nightline Viewer Objects to ABC Report
The MSTKG Chinese Politics site received the message printed below from someone who saw the Nightline report on June 9, 1998 on forced abortion and other methods used by the Chinese Communist party to carry out "family planning" in mainland China.
The writer did not think the report was fair and said it was biased.
The Nightline piece was based largely on Congressional testimony by a Former official of the Chinese Communist family planning unit named Kiao Duan Gao. She described herself thusly:
Below is the letter from our reader. It seems to be directed to ABC news in general, but he sent it here.
Please read it. And after it, there are links that will allow you to read the Nightline transcript, the Congressional testimony itself and a response from the chinese Communist Party.
We thank this reader for offering his opinion.
I was a monster in the daytime, injuring others by the Chinese communist authorities' barbaric planned- birth policy, but in the evening, I was like all other women and mothers
Subj: bias stories told by US media
Date: 98-06-16 00:48:03 EDT
From: xxxx
To: Mstkg
In response to ABC News "Nightlines"
I am a Chinese American who lived in New York for the past 19 years. I am originally from Hong Kong and my parents are from Fuzhou, China. I am writing in response to your station's broadcast on June 9, 1998 about the China's One Child Policy. Once again, like the story on the Tiananmen Square Incident broadcasted on June 4, it is a one sided story. The program used 20 minutes (including commercials) to tell a one sided story followed by a very brief discussion.
In the beginning of the program, Ted Koppel said, "In this country......., In this country....." First of all we cannot judge the world by America standard. The American ideal does not necessary mean it is the ideal of the world. Unlike other news programs such as 60 Minutes where all the facts and different views are presented fairly and without bias, Nightline has presented bias views to the American public and in the program, Mr. Koppel dare to compare the Chinese Government to the Nazi!
This is irresponsible journalism. What are the reasons behind the One Child Policy? Why does the Chinese Government have to take such drastic measures? The program did a poor job in clarifying these questions. As the guest, Susan Greenhalgh from Irvine CA, attempts to explain the reasons behind the policy. Mr. Koppel interrupts her showing no interest in what she has to say. ABC may argue that they have offered the Chinese Embassy in D.C. an opportunity to respond to these accusations and they declined. What do you expect? Can the Chinese Embassy present their position in a five-minute discussion?
Furthermore, I question the credibility of the claims and accusations made by the Chinese dissentients [sic] in both stories. How credible are they? It looks like they are playing the role of the juror, plaintiff and the defendant. With their current involvement in the political arena, it is very easy and perhaps in their best interest to exaggerate or even lies. Given their desire to stay in America, the financial support (by the US Government) and the expectation in delivering what Washington wants to hear will influence what they say. They might have become puppets for special interest groups.
I am not trying to justify either the Chinese action in Tiananmen or the One Child Policy. I am just saying that one must put themselves in the shoe of other people. One should look behind the facts and not just at the surface. One needs to know the country's history, culture, and environment. Did anyone ever question why the students were able to carry on for so long and was able to met with heads of the communist leader. In the old days, the protest will be crashed immediately. I was surprise to see how the students were able to go so far for so long.
News program is nether a drama, nor a tool of persuasion. Its goal is to present all facts without bias to the audience and let them decide for themselves. Not everyone likes Coke nor everyone can afford it. To American, it might be affordable and refreshing, but it might not hold true around the world. The mentality of a developed nation is very different from that of a developing nation. Everything comes with a price. Developed countries can afford to speak of equality, freedom, and quality of life. For many countries, these words mean little when they are still struggling with basic survival. To them equality might mean a roof over their heads and freedom from landmines and quality of life might mean not going to bed hungry.
For the past nine years, I have heard nothing but criticism led by the United States Government and its media about how the Chinese Government handled the Tiananmen Square incident. I feel it is time for someone to stand up and try to make people understand the whole incident from the perspective of the Chinese people. I am not talking about the few Chinese people the American media interviewed or the students that were involved. I am talking about a fair representation of the Chinese population from different background, age group and region.
I know my opinion goes against the sentiment of many people in the western countries. It is always easier to join the bandwagon. It is easier to agree then to disagree and avoid the risk of confrontation. I am not trying to justify the action of the Chinese Government or to endorse the use of violence in dealing with innocent people. I just want to broaden the horizon of the people to see things from a different perspective, and understand how far China has come since the Cultural Revolution.
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