News that a photojournalist was beaten by some property management staff on the outskirts of Beijing is fueling public demand to defend the rights of the press.
Yang Wei, from the Beijing Times, a local tabloid, was assaulted on Sunday while investigating complaints of arbitrary fees calculated by a property management firm serving the Shiliu Yuan Estate in the Fengtai District.
When staff members discovered Yang was working undercover as a resident, a handful of them encircled Yang and beat him, damaging one-sixth of his right eardrum.
Yang is currently hospitalized at Chaoyang Hospital in downtown Beijing.
Sun Zhaohua, an official of the All-China Journalist's Association, told China Daily that Yang is recovering well, but still feels faint and nauseous.
He is expected to leave hospital in the next couple of days, said Sun after visiting Yang Tuesday afternoon.
Sun's organization, which represents 10s of thousands of Chinese journalists, has expressed concern over the beating and they are working with police in the investigation.
Wu Haimin, editor-in-chief of the Beijing Times, said that Yang's perpetrators have been detained, but the exact number of them is not yet available.
Chinese citizens displayed outrage in newspapers and the Internet.
"I feel so sorry for Yang. He was hurt while trying to make our complaints about bad property management heard," said Liu Baoxing, a resident from the Shiliu Yuan Estate.
Liu joined a number of residents from the neighborhood who visited Yang. Some shed tears while others expressed firm support for Yang's actions.
Others also urged laws to protect reporters. "If we cannot protect a reporter's right to report, how can we uphold our right as a citizen to know and to be informed?" said an Internet user nicknamed Xiao Laba.
Yang was the latest victim in growing violence against journalists in China. Since 1997, more than 20 cases have been recorded of reporters who have been harmed.
Sun's organization has, since 1998, received more than 200 reports complaining of violations of journalists' rights.
"A lack of detailed laws protecting reporters' rights allows people like this to harass or worse, to attack journalists," said Wu Haimin.
Wu is calling for a law specifying reporters' right to know, interview and report without threats or violence.
(China Daily March 27, 2002)
