It’s what we all do. Editors call. Say “Give me 12 inches on that destroyed church…mention that they’ve been tearing down others…” Or, as a reporter in China you send your daily email to the City desk or the assignment editor and ask “You want something on that church? They finally tore it down.” Or, probably, when you first saw the piece in The Telegraph a few weeks ago you pitched the story and someone in LA or NY or Washington replied, “No. Wait til something happens.”
You don’t go to Wenzhou. News organizations aren’t going to spend the money for a dateline unless it’s a two or three-day story or a lot of people have been killed or there’s a considerable amount of damage or its a siege or, in my case, the affiliates are asking for it.
There are good reasons for what makes news. Melvin Mencher’s News Reporting and Writing outlines them in the chapter titled “What Is News.” It’s a good read. If you’re interested.
Monday, the LA Times joined the Washington Post and The New York Times, which all have had stories on the face-off in Sanjiang. The Times’ very capable Barbara Demick (whose terrific book on North Korea Nothing To Envy is a must read for anyone who wants a sense of what it’s like to live under Pyongyang’s rule) turned out 371 words on the Wenzhou church. Said Demick:
“Chinese officials said the demolition of the $5-million Sanjiang Church was ordered because the church was four times the size for which the building had been permitted. However, activists say it is part of a campaign against churches taking place throughout Zhejiang province.”
For perspective, here’s the UPI wire copy on the Wenzhou story. It links to Demick’s piece and is a close replicate.
The UK Huffington Post also did a piece on the church. Their article mentions Christian Today which carries reporting from the London-based World Watch Monitor whose credentials and reporting I credit with toning down my own initial prejudice. Its article from yesterday by Christian Today writer Carey Lodge said:
“The facts of the case are largely unclear, however, as reports are conflicting. Some suggest that the church is a state-sanctioned ‘Three-Self’ church, while others indicate that the building was illegally erected.
In response to the situation, church members have accused the government of launching an offensive against Christian places of worship across the country. They claim that accusations of illegal building are merely “a pretext to tear down churches”.