Chinese state media protests police crackdown over reports of deadly explosion

In a rare show of defiance, Chinese media on Thursday protested police attempts to block coverage of a suspected gas leak. An explosion at a restaurant in the north of the country kills seven people people and injured 27 people.

An explosion occurred at a fried chicken restaurant in Yanjiao Town, Sanhe City, near Beijing, on Wednesday, suspected to have been caused by a gas leak.

As Chinese state media and foreign reporters rushed to cover the explosion, which killed two people and injured 27 others, local authorities forcibly prevented them from leaving the scene, sparking a rare controversy over China’s news restrictions.

A CCTV reporter was interrupted while reporting live at the explosion site. According to a video circulating online, the reporter was surrounded by several uniformed police officers who blocked the camera and shouted about the potential danger at the scene.

As of Thursday, the video of the report was no longer available on the CCTV website, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported.

In another video, reporters saw a group of uniformed police officers surrounding them and asking them to leave the scene.

“We three reporters were pushed and pushed by more than a dozen people,” said a reporter from the state-run China Central Radio and Television Station, which is part of China Central Radio and Television.

The state-run All China Journalists Association opposed the official crackdown, saying officials should not “simply and crudely hinder journalists from performing their duties in order to control public opinion.” The association urges officials to facilitate on-site media interviews when covering emergencies.

The police crackdown on the media is seen as an attempt by local officials to downplay reports, fearing retaliation, as last month Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered measures to curb a recurrence of building fires from various causes and protect people’s lives. and property security and social stability.

As video of the media protest went viral on Chinese social media platform Weibo (similar to X), local authorities issued a statement on Thursday saying they “deeply regret” and apologized to reporters, The Washington Post reported.

China’s foreign ministry briefing also noted media protests over the official crackdown, as many foreign journalists were reportedly blocked from reporting that night.

Asked about restrictions on journalists, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said local officials had issued a statement on the incident.

Wang Yi said that China welcomes foreign journalists to carry out reporting activities in accordance with the law, and we are willing to provide convenience if the media encounters any problems.

Fires and gas explosions occur almost every month, prompting President Xi Jinping to order relevant departments to take preemptive measures.

Last month, a building fire broke out in Nanning, China, killing 15 people and injuring 44 people; on January 24, a building fire broke out in Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, killing 39 people and injuring 9 people.

Fatal fires are not uncommon in China due to lax enforcement of building and safety standards.

On January 20, a fire broke out in a school dormitory in Henan Province, killing at least 13 students. All the victims were third grade students.