New Express makes U-turn on detained journalist

The New Express newspaper, which has drawn international attention by calling on its front page for the release of a reporter held for allegedly writing false reports about a heavy machinery maker, Sunday made a U-turn and apologized for not checking that the reporter was bribed to run the stories.

"Chen Yongzhou, a reporter for this newspaper took money to publish a quantity of false reports … and our paper didn't examine the articles strictly. Furthermore, the inappropriate action taken afterwards severely damaged our credibility and we were taught a lesson," the Guangzhou-based newspaper said on the front page of its Sunday edition.

Chen was detained by the Changsha police authority on October 18, when they accused him of fabricating facts about Zoomlion's loss of State assets, "distorted marketing" and financial fraud, according to a Xinhua News Agency report. The 14 articles by Chen were published between September 2012 and August 2013.

On Saturday, the case took an unexpected turn. China Central Television (CCTV) released a report interviewing Chen at the Changsha detention house, where he admitted to having taken money to write negative reports about Zoomlion.

According to CCTV, Chen received phone calls from sources to publish negative reports on Zoomlion, based in Changsha, and received a total of 500,000 yuan ($82,200) for them. Of the 14 articles published under his byline, Chen admitted to writing one and contributing to another based on interviews he conducted He said the remainder were written by others.

Chen apologized for his behavior on CCTV. "I am willing to admit my crime and am regretting it. For those who were hurt in this case - Zoomlion, the credibility of the news industry, my family - I apologize in earnest. To the stockholders of Zoomlion, if my articles affected the market values, I am willing to apologize," he said.

Even though Chen has confessed on TV, the source from which Chen took money remains unidentified. The CCTV report did not mention whether the case has any accomplices and the Changsha police had not responded as of Sunday.

The CCTV report showed the name of Sany Group, a Changsha-based construction machinery corporation and a competitor to Zoomlion. However, the deputy general manager, Zhu Wenkui, told a Caixin reporter on Sunday that he hasn't seen the CCTV report and the case shouldn't have anything to do with the Sany Group.

There are discussions about the way in which the capture was conducted. Some also doubted whether it was legal for CCTV to broadcast his confession before trial. Si Weijiang, a Shanghai-based lawyer, said CCTV has no right to broadcast before a public trial, such action carries the suspicion of prejudging.

Zhang Zhi'an, an associate professor at the School of Communication and Design at Sun Yat-sen University, told the Global Times he doesn't think it's problematic ethically to interview the suspect, but if the news report presented only one side's voice, it might influence the final outcome of the trial.