(Minghui.org) Ten years after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) staged the Tiananmen self-immolation hoax, the state-controlled media initiated another smear campaign against Falun Gong based on the same event.
However, the CCP’s own reporting also provided more investigation clues into how the incident was manufactured to slander Falun Gong. One burning question was the identity of the CCTV reporter who covered the event.
The reporter was named “Li Yuqiang” (it’s not clear whether this was her real name or a pseudonym). The news was broadcast as an episode of the CCTV’s Focal Point program. But Li never showed the front of her face in the program, only side and back views in a few places. Her name was the only one credited among all episodes covering the self-immolation. In addition to serving as a reporter, she was also named as an editor.
Based on footage of the incident, both far and near and from different locations, it was obvious that the program was supported by a team of experienced cameramen. But none of their names appeared in the list of credits.
For most significant events, CCTV would arrange high-profile reporters to cover them, but “Li Yuqiang” was not found to have covered any other events. No one had heard of her before, and it was only after the incident that her name was suddenly known to the world.
Why does she hide her identity? Suppose the self-immolators were real Falun Gong practitioners and the CCP allowed more reporters to investigate it; the resulting coverage would greatly serve the CCP’s interests. But the CCP didn’t do it. Instead, they strictly controlled the coverage and gave it all to “Li Yuqiang.” It’s clear that they didn’t want any independent investigation into the event.
A CCTV staff member recently talked to an overseas newspaper, The Epoch Times, about “Li Yuqiang”: “She is actually not in our establishment. Those programs that she produced, many of us did not like them, either. We all want to stay away from her, to avoid getting bad luck from her. She doesn’t show up often and is always secretive.”
Another CCTV staffer commented, “She was sent here by higher-ups, and we have no control over [what she did]. She reports directly to the 610 Office and specializes in producing programs slandering Falun Gong.” Other CCTV staffers also said they had no idea of Li’s whereabouts or her background.
It’s not clear whether “Li Yuqiang” still works for the CCP or has been sacrificed as a scapegoat. Maybe when her identity is finally revealed, it won’t be far from the CCP’s ultimate collapse.
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