Oops -- from Commie China

When you read a news article from an official news agency, what do you expect to read, fact or fiction?

If you read Xinhua news agency, beware, it could be fiction!

This news yesterday (September 25, 2008) from AP:

An article describing China's long-awaited space mission was launched Thursday hours before astronauts even left the launch pad.

The country's official news agency Xinhua posted an article on its Web site Thursday written as if the three astronauts had already been launched into space.

The Shenzhou 7 mission, which will feature China's first-ever spacewalk, is set to launch Thursday from Jiuquan in northwestern China between 9:07 p.m. and 10:27 p.m. (1307 GMT and 1427 GMT).

The Xinhua article is dated Sept. 27 — two days from now — and comes complete with an entire dialogue between the astronauts.

That article, no longer accessible online, is

. . . titled "Sleepless Night on the Pacific, Sidelights on the Observation and Control of the 30th Lap of Shenzhou 7 Spaceship," which was available most of the day, has now been removed from the Xinhua Web site.

A staffer from the Xinhuanet.com Web site who answered the phone Thursday said the posting of the article was a "technical error" by a technician. The staffer refused to give his name as is common among Chinese officials.

The piece vividly described the rocket in flight, complete with a sharply detailed dialogue between the three astronauts as

"First-level measurement arrangement!"

After this order, signal lights all were switched on, various data show up on rows of screens, hundreds of technicians staring at the screens, without missing any slightest changes ...

"One minute to go!"

"Changjiang No.1 found the target!"...

The firm voice of the controller broke the silence of the whole ship. Now, the target is captured 12 seconds ahead of the predicted time ...

"The air pressure in the cabin is normal!"

"Ten minutes later, the ship disappears below the horizon. Warm clapping and excited cheering breaks the night sky, echoing across the silent Pacific Ocean."

It was an impressive and imaginative author. Clearly the author might do very well writing fictions. But if it was not discovered the date discrepancy -- who could know the difference?

We have seen fake reportings in New York Times, Washington Post, and Boston Globe over the years. So the Commies are just catching up. Welcome to the modern main-stream journalism: let the readers beware!

Are they in space or on earth? Who cares?

P. S. :

Here's a good article in Guardian yesterday written by Zhang Hong entitled "Can China afford its space mission?" with this comment:

This year, Chinese central government badly needs some good news to dress up a harmonious and prosperous appearance of the nation. The snowstorm in January, the Tibet riot in March, the earthquake in May and the most recent milk powder scandal have put the authorities under unprecedented pressure. On the economic front, the collapse of stock and property markets has left many investors with huge losses. Meanwhile, high inflation has made living costs in most Chinese cities unendurable. Tens of thousands of middle- and small-sized enterprises have failed due to the tight monetary polices and the rising operating costs. On the administrative front, the regional government's cover-up attempt during several high-profile incidents has triggered widespread dissatisfaction over the Communist Party's ruling. On internet forums, participants, often anonymous, are wondering how accountability can work under a one-party system.

I think the demise of one-party system is long over-due. The commie regime's continued affix to the obsolescent Marxism can only serve to speed up their dissolution sooner!