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"Pay close attention to that man behind the curtain!"

Monday, August 17, 2009

CNN can't decide whether to call Ma Ying-jeou Taiwan's "president" or its "leader"

They distort, you decide

Here are three screenshots which tell a story:

Most Popular on CNN: Taiwan leader takes typhoon blame
4:03 AM, August 17, 2009, Taiwan time
The most-viewed article at that time was listed as "Taiwan leader takes typhoon blame"
(and it's good to see that the readers are paying attention to Taiwan!),
but clicking that link took me to what you'll see in the next image.
(Click image to enlarge)

CNN headline: Taiwan's president takes blame for typhoon response
4:04 AM, August 17, 2009, Taiwan time
"Taiwan's president takes blame for typhoon response,"
but somebody behind the scenes is about to take the blame for the headline.
(Not that the link above appeared on the same page with this headline.)
Take a look below to see what happened next.
(Click image to enlarge)

CNN headline: Taiwan's president takes blame for typhoon response
8:30 AM, August 17, 2009, Taiwan time
Now it says "Taiwan's leader takes blame for typhoon response,"
and the first sentence of the article also uses the word "leader."
(Click image to enlarge)

Note the URL of the page calls Ma "president," but the most recent version changes "president" (in both the headline and the body of the article) to "leader," only using the word "president" in a direct quote from Ma farther down the page:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/16/taiwan.president.typhoon/index.html
Gee, how do you think that happened?

FURTHER READING:
* Luby in Wonderland: "CNN: Ma takes full responsibility, will punish subordinates, but will not resign"

* A post I wrote November 2006 shows how Ma "takes responsibility."
Square pegs: , , , , ,

Cross-posted at Taiwan Matters!

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Posted at 10:11 PM by: [Permalink]

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Ma Ying-jeou "observes" with closed eyes

... and a closed mind

From the presidential web site, we can see the ignorance of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九):
President Ma's Observations on the 20th Anniversary of the June 4th Incident

[...]

[paragraph 3]
Great changes have taken place on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in the two decades since the June 4th Incident. Successful economic reforms in mainland China have brought tremendous improvements to the quality of life there. Over the past decade, the mainland authorities have paid greater attention to human rights than before. China has signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In addition, it has published a series of white papers on human rights, and just this past April took an even more concrete step forward by formally adopting the National Human Rights Action Plan of China. The Action Plan has received mixed reviews from the international community, but the mere fact that they took this step is a clear signal that the mainland authorities are now willing to directly address the issue of human rights. This shows a robust openness and confidence on their part, the likes of which we have not seen from them in the past.
How "great" are these changes? In Taiwan (under Ma Ying-jeou), police who are responsible for serious brutality against non-violent protesters get promotions. In China, not even CNN gets to do unfettered reporting.

About that "incident," uh, well, it was a massacre, President Ma!

Those "successful" economic reforms have made the Chicoms rich enough to support North Korea, Burma, Sudan, and other such violent regimes.

That "mainland" of which Ma speaks is a different country -- one which has never ruled Taiwan.

Now, on this "human rights" issue, all I have to say is that Ma's head is so far up his ass on this one, he can see his own molars. The parents of the school children who died in the Sichuan earthquake know much more about this than Mr. Ma ever will.

Next, "sign[ing]," "ratif[ying]," and "publish[ing]" human rights-related documents means nothing. Ma's next sentence reveals that these steps are hardly "concrete," but "formally adopting" a "plan" means nothing in the face of actual abuses.

If any of that amounts to a "clear signal" for Ma Ying-jeou, I have to wonder how he can even tie his own jogging shoes.

As far as "robust openness and confidence" goes, I've never seen anything quite as ridiculous as the umbrella video from CNN

FURTHER READING:
Here's the Chinese version of the above nonsense: 總統發表「六四事件」20週年感言.
The opposite of what the MSM tells you they are: , , , , , , , ,

Cross-posted at Taiwan Matters!

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Posted at 11:06 PM by: [Permalink]

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

CNN interviews Mr. Ma Ying-jeou

How 'bout if we just call you "Mr. Pony"?

Over the past weekend, CNN's Anjali Rao interviewed Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on the program TalkAsia.

CNN got it halfway right and called Ma "Taiwanese president" (he's "Taiwan's" president, but he's not "Taiwanese") in the interview and in on-screen descriptions, but their web page messed up his job description supremely:

Ma doesn't mind if Chinese leaders belittlingly call him ''Mr.''
A ministerial mess-up from a "premier" news source
(Click to enlarge)

The text version of the line highlighted in the image above says [emphasis added]:
· Taiwan's premier, Ma Ying-jeou, elected by biggest margin in history
Can't make up their minds
Check out the other inaccurate description below the video on that page [emphasis added]:
CNN's Anjali Rao talks with popular new Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou about [...]
Whoa, horsie! Numbers in the 30s -- Ma's numbers in just the second month of his presidency -- were called "low approval ratings" by CNN when applied to George W. Bush in the sixth year of his term in office.

What say you, readers, about a 30-ish percent popularity rating? Hot or not?

UPDATE: That sentence about Ma being "popular" disappeared from the CNN page between the time I wrote this post and the time I published it. [/UPDATE]

UPDATE 2: As quickly as it vanished, it seems to have reappeared. Perhaps I was looking at the wrong page? Here it is in image form (from this page):
The poopular Mr. Ma Ying-jeou!
Popular?
(Click to enlarge)

[/UPDATE 2]

Watch it!
See the video of the interview (in pieces) here.

We've seen some unusual things in just this brief look. Watch carefully for more fawning by Rao and for the outright lies you'll find within -- even though there may be a glimpse of truth to be seen if you don't blink.

''Taiwanese'' President Ma Ying-jeou    Anjali Rao can't get enough of Mr. Ma-r

Anjali Rao seems to be flirting with Mr. Ma-r    A 高潮 for Mr. Ma-r. . .
Some screenshots from the end of the interview

Maybe it was there for "balance"
I only caught the tail end of the program on Sunday night, but if you've been keeping up, you wouldn't be surprised to know that the program described above was followed immediately by a promo for another CNN special: Sights & Sounds of Beijing. Could it be a subtle attempt to confuse viewers about which country's president they were just watching an interview of? Y'think?

Perhaps I'll have a more detailed post on the interview content later, but I can't promise anything.
(Im)mutable monikers: , , , , , , , ,

Cross-posted at Taiwan Matters!

Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Posted at 8:52 PM by: [Permalink]
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