Rocker Wang Feng loses case against tabloid

By Zhang Rui
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, May 12, 2016
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A local court ruled on Wednesday in favor of one of China's most powerful tabloid reporters, who was sued by rock singer Wang Feng for defamation.

Rock singer Wang Feng [File photo]

In April 2015, Wang sued Zhuo Wei, China's self-proclaimed "No. 1 tabloid reporter," for insult and defamation at Beijing's Chaoyang District Court. According to the filings, Zhuo posted photos of Wang and his wife, actress Zhang Ziyi, on his Weibo microblog with a sensational headline calling Wang a "Pioneer in the Gambling World."

Wang's attorney said this headline harmed Wang's personality and image and misled society's perception about the singer. Wang demanded the deletion of the Weibo post and a public apology, as well as 2 million yuan compensation for emotional damage.

Zhuo argued that he hadn't done anything wrong and hadn't violated Wang's reputation. He said the only thing he'd done was to exercise his right of freedom of speech and the right of media scrutiny.

Chaoyang court handed down a verdict in favor of Zhuo due to lack of substantial evidence and legal basis. Wang then appealed to Beijing's Third Intermediate Court, Beijing Morning Post reported. After hearing the case, the court rejected Wang's appeal and upheld the original verdict.

"Wang, even though he didn't participate in domestic gambling, was involved in overseas gamble activities," the court ruled. "Zhuo got information from public media and made comments based on his own opinions, which were not defamation, though he used some harsh and negative words."

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