CCP Media Apologizes for Publishing 'Earthquake Truth'

Gansu Provincial Seismology Bureau reversed report to keep in line with party tune
Epoch Times
Jun. 06, 2008

Since the devastating earthquake happened in Sichuan province on May 12, the topic of whether the regime had received warning but failed to warn the general public, has become the regime's haunting shadow.

On May 20, the regime's mouth piece, Xinhua News Agency, accidentally published a news report that the Gansu Provincial Party Chief praised the Gansu Seismological Bureau for having "made a prediction and reported its forecast to the Gansu Province Chinese Communist Party Committee and the Gansu government, before the earthquake."

The report contradicts the regime previously claims that no prediction was made before the earthquake.

The report was soon deleted after people noticed such a contradiction and made it public on the Internet.

Nine days later on May 29, Gansu Provincial Earthquake Information Net published an "Important Correction" stating the previously published "important speech regarding the earthquake" by Provincial Party Chief Lu Hao contained an "editing error."

Ironically, the revised news report claims that the Gansu Seismological Bureau "has made a prediction AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE and reported to the Gansu Province Chinese Communist Party Committee and Gansu government, before the earthquake" [emphasis added].

On May 30, The Epoch Times interviewed a mainland journalist who attended the meeting at which Gansu provincial Party Chief Lu Hao made the above speech.

The journalist, who does not want to be named, told The Epoch Times, Lu did make the statement about the prediction before the earthquake. A lot of people in the meeting were shocked, including himself. The journalist carefully confirmed with others that what he heard was correct. "Although we did not discuss it, all journalist there knew someone was going to make a 'political mistake.'"

But the journalist cannot explain why this happened, "normally important speeches must go through strict checking, it must [be] that the Party Chief 'leaked the secret' by himself," said the journalist.

The journalist also said that all media have been required to report on "advanced models, advanced deeds in the earthquake relief work," "How the Party and government care about the people as their hearts link together." Earthquake prediction and disputable topics in the government relief work are banned.