April 18, 2007
And so the Virginia Tech killer wasn't from China after all
For most of the day yesterday, we here at Shanghaiist were wondering if we should post anything about the horrific mass shooting at Virginia Tech, a university in the United States. On the surface, the answer should have been an easy "no" — Blacksburg, Virginia, is nowhere near Shanghai. But news started to trickle in about the suspected killer: He was Asian, possibly Chinese. And then, yesterday morning, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed posted a story labeled "exclusive" that started out like this:
Authorities were investigating whether the gunman who killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history was a Chinese man who arrived in the United States last year on a student visa.The 24-year-old man arrived in San Francisco on United Airlines on Aug. 7 on a visa issued in Shanghai, the source said. Investigators have not linked him to any terrorist groups, the source said.
The original link to that story now leads to an updated version that says the suspected killer was South Korean — in the U.S. since 1992 — but you can read the original report here. The updated version now includes this paragraph:
The initial investigation had led law enforcement authorities to a preliminary suspect who was a Chinese national, accompanied by details and a description. The man was placed on the suspect list before fingerprints could be verified. The list in turn was distributed to law enforcement officials via a national network in place to check on possible terrorism in the United States.
Reporting breaking news is never easy, especially a story of this magnitude. Tips and leads sometimes prove to be wrong, and in today's 24-hour news cycle, readers and viewers often learn about new facts and developments at the same rapid pace as the reporters. In an apparent effort to be on top of the story, many news organizations cited that initial Sun-Times report in their coverage, leading to headlines like "Report: Gunman Was Chinese National" and "Shanghai student eyed in university shooting" (this story, too, has since been changed and updated with new information). The Chinese news media, incidentally, was covering the story along with everyone else, and some outlets did mention the gunman could be a Chinese national with a student visa. (We should point out that just because someone has a student visa issued in Shanghai, that doesn't necessarily mean they are from Shanghai — only a few cities issue student visas.)
Anyway, Shanghaiist decided not to post anything yesterday (other than some links) about the mass shooting. There just wasn't enough good information out there that made it pertinent to our readership, and regardless, whatever information there was could easily be found almost anywhere else on the internet.
So why post today? Well, overnight we received a forwarded email from someone going by the name "CBS Chinaman" (CBS, in this instance, stands for "a Chinese born in Shanghai"). He or she had sent this email to editors at the Chicago Sun-Times and wanted to share it with Shanghaiist readers (the writer said he or she also sent it to the New York Times, the Washington Post and Xinhua). We don't necessarily agree with all of the points made below — the calls for resignation, for example — and we would have preferred the writer use his or her real name, but some of the arguments are indeed valid, and we thought it fair to publish this person's thoughts on the matter. We imagine CBS Chinaman is not the only person who feels this way.
Here is the email:
To: Chicago Sun-TimesMr. Michael Cooke and Mr. Donald Hayner,
My deepest sorrow to all those who lost their precious lives in the Virginia
Tech campus massacre.In the meantime, I am also shocked to see your lack of professionalism and
morality in finger-pointing a Chinese student from Shanghai as the murderer
in the Virginia Tech campus without any basis. The whole world had assumed
(thanks for your reckless report) that the massacre was done by a
24-yeare-old cold-blood Chinese holding a F-1 visa. Now that the final
investigation shows that this horrible thing was not done by a Chinese, you
have literally slapped your own face in front of the whole world. Your
recklessness was not only an insult to Chinese people, but also to those who
lost their loved ones in this tragedy. Shame on you Chicago Sun-Times!You should have realized that this is an unprecedented tragedy in history
and every word you said regarding who did it would matter to the families of
the victims and to the whole world, but you chose to recklessly "identify" a
specific person with specific racial and country (and even city) background
without any firm evidence; you could have hold off from releasing your
hearsay as the killer is already dead and with the body found, the
authorities will sure identify who he is soon, but you chose to be the first
media to spread the rumors that "a Chinese did it"; you could have clarified
that there is no evidence yet when the whole world is making conclusions by
citing your news report, but you cowardly kept silent.I, as a Chinese citizen from Shanghai, condemn Chicago Sun-Times'
recklesness, and request it to formally apologize to the Chinese people who
were hurt, unfairly treated or affected as a result of your misleading
report, and demand that Micheal Sneed to resign from Chicago Sun-Times, as
his reckless behavior apparently shows his is not suitable as a journalist,
I also request that Zach Finken to resign from his post as news editor, as
for sure he cannot tell right from wrong and allowed publication of Sneed's
report.I look forward to hearing back from you.
Best regards,
CBS (a Chinese born in Shanghai)
|
They are so hyper-sensitive aren't they?
Then the editor of the Shanghai Daily should apologize for insulting the feelings of the Chinese people for printing the news scoop and also resign.
But wait, he or she is chinese, so how does that figure?
China needs to get over itself, its ok for people in other countries to be insulted, but not Chinese people? I'll bet that alot of people in China will be snickering about "those Koreans" while the S. Korean embassy is sending a delegation to VT to mend fences and dispell any branding of Korean students. A good lesson for China (and China needs many lessons) is that even after 9-11 there was little "mass branding" and the "mass branders" were mostly bums anyways.
Next to the Shanghai Daily story about the VT shootings, there was a story about more Chinese feelings being hurt when Italian police gave out traffic tickets to owners of shops in a Chinatown for blocking traffic to unload their cars...and a mass sit-in was being planned by CHinatown residents and the Chinese embassy was coming to their defence...all over a f*n traffic ticket.
China, get over yourself, you are all just part of 6.5 billion people...and grow some thicker skin.
Some related links:
Chinese media reacts to Virginia Tech shootings (Danwei)
Ill-informed Chicago columnist scares the hell out of China (Beijing Newspeak)
Gun-loving student wrongly accused (The Age)
One of the many behind-the-scenes emails that Shanghaiist threw around yesterday included a link to a Chinese-heritage student's Livejournal blog at VT.
http://www.wanusmaximus.livejournal.com/
Reading the above site gave enough, believable information to put 1+1=2, enough to put this guy in the moment at the scene.
But like many things in life, nothing is as straightforward.
Today, I read this in The Age online newspaper.
Did the media make a mistake? Probably. Did they report this as fact, or supposition? I don't know. At times like these, I find it incredulous that people can still identify with issues in such a polarising manner.
I believe CBS Chinaman's response stems from something slightly more than rage stemming from a media team's error, omission, or reporting of theory.
I wonder if CBS would have been so outraged if the gunmen had been wrongly ID'd as Japanese.?
just yet another example of the petty closed-minded behaviour i have come to expect here, using a terrible event like this to peddle more claptrap about how the wicked west is out to get china...
CBS, grow the F up!
Poor CBS. And how many innocents has his government killed recently?
I just love how CBS tells the newspaper how they should report the news. But not have the bollocks to put his name to the letter. Proof that he is indeed Chinese.
no offense taken...
just a mix up, it's not that important in light of what happened
as for nanheyangrouchuan, the only one who can't get over him/herself, is you.
I read the original article on Chicago Sun Times last night (I live in Vancouver) and I was very shocked. After I googled around, I noticed that CST is the only newspaper that makes such an assertion. Next morning I checked again, the article was still there, even AFTER on CNN they had announced that the guy wasn't chinese. I decided that after I come back from school, if the article is till there, I'm gonna e-mail them and yell at them =___= Fortunately they took it off after I came back from school.
I'm really happy that someone actually took some action about this.
and... nanheyangrouchuan... perhaps your skin is a bit "too thick". >.>
hi mawi,
not that i totally disagree with you, nor am i challening your right to voice your opinion...but i think this relatively minor squabble should be saved for a later date. right now it is still the immediate aftermath of the massacre, and it should be about the victims and the actual event iself.
Thick skin, yes. But also soft and supple thanks to a healthy intake of water and frequent use of moisturizer.
I think this is a ridiculous and absurd letter lacking in rationality. Someone was wrongly identified, big deal, where he was from is therefore of no consequence. And even if the killer was Chinese, no right-thinking people will think ill of a country because of the actions of one individual.
Scores of people have been killed in a tragedy, this is no time for pretty nonsense about wrong news reports.
At least the Chicago Sun Times is at liberty to make such mistakes...
This is one person's letter, it hardly represents the feelings of everyone in China. I'd say *this individual* needs to stop being so petty and fucking stupid.
Good point about if it was a Japanese person that had been wrongly accused, I'm sure the writer would have been jumping for joy, "yet more evidence that those Japanese are bad people".
BTW, why is this blog entry even here? What has this got to do with living in Shanghai?
Wow, this is fascinating. An incredible day of tragedy brought about by one deranged young man, halfway around the world, and this is what we're talking about?
The Sun Times screwed the pooch. I can't imagine who or what their source was, but there was absolutely no news value for them to run with specific, and ultimately wrong, information on the shooter before the police officially released his identity.
But hey outraged Chinese masses - let it drop. The S-T may have been sloppy and greedy, but it was never about China or Chinese people. Making a big deal about this just makes you look indifferent to the larger tragedy and gives the foreign trolls here more opportunity to vent their various personal frustrations.
As for the outraged foreign masses: it ain't about you either! Listen, May holiday's right around the corner. What say we all head to someplace quiet and tropical, chill out for a week, get some perspective, and then come back refreshed and ready to make more money in the Great Red Land of Opportunity?
@ BigBadHai
unfortunately, most people are not "right-thinking". the anti-china camp got really excited yesterday, albeit briefly. thankfully for them, most of them are also in the anti-asian camp -- why do you think south korea sent over diplomats?
@ Enders
probably not the feelings of everyone in china, but definitely more than one. i'd say "many". and as for this story's inclusion on this blog, why not? i live in shanghai and find it rather interesting.
Stop arguing abt who is wrong, who is offensive, who is totally stuip. How Chinese behavior depends on their culture and the whole automosphere.
We should express our deepest sorrow to those who lost there lives in the tragedy, especially the great professor,Liviu Librescu,"By blocking the door with his body he saved all the students who were in the classroom."
I dont understand some of the comments here. Like Shanghaiist, I am of the opinion that the letter maybe a little bit exagerated in demanding resignation, but appart from that, there are some valid points in it.
Oversensitive or not, thick or thin skin, reporters of a newspaper should not report anything without a firm basis. The easiness with which Sun Times reports that the killer is in fact Chinese, is according to my opinion an insult to Journalism.
Of course, if Sun Times would have accused a Japanese from Tokyo, mr CBS would not have written this letter, but some JBT (Japanese born in Tokyo) would have. I do not see what that attack on CBS has to do anything at all with this, unless the writer of it is an idealist who always writes letters for other when respective others are insulted.
Arjan -
I think the letter serves as an example of excessive Chinese sensitivity. I personally don't believe that a similar letter would be as likely to originate from Japan - that nation is more developed and self-confident than China and this is reflected in the attitudes found among its citizens.
I think that "thicker" skins as mentioned above is what is needed in the world, particularly against all those who let their neurosis get the better of them, weather they be high and mighty religious types taking offence to harmless cartoons as we saw last year in Denmark, or basic mistakes like what we see here. No offence was intended by that news report and I think it's just plain daft for the writer of the said letter to get so bothered about it.
You are right in that the letter highlights sloppy journalism, but mistakes happen in news. The newspaper should certainly take a look at its self and ask what went wrong and issue an apology, but I believe the mistake was made in good faith and it is not a big issue.
I completely agree with all about the fact that it's completely petty to put all one's attention toward indignation about someone who was admittedly irresponsible.
I have no ability to sympathize who tries to take a tragedy and make it about their OWN pain. Especially when it's completely indirect. CBS was not personally affected at all. His/her only connection to the situation is that he happens to be from shanghai, just like millions of other people, the bulk of whom had the grace to just respect the situation.
Bigbadhai,
Thanks for your response. As a newcomer in Shanghai, I have not yet had a lot of collissions with the mentioned oversensitiveness. From an intercultural standpoint, I would like to explain this in another way: THe Chinese are a people with very low individualism and very high group-mentality. Therefore, if a Chinese guy does something wrong, they will all feel a bit guilty for it, and if a Chinese is accused without reason, they will all feel attacked. As (we) westerners might be annoyed by the signs of this (which we call oversensitiveness), the Chinese might be equally annoyed by us westerners carelessly pointing a finger at 'them' as S-T did.
And I definately agree with your condemnation of the mohammed-denmark incident of last year. However, the response we see here (ie a letter) is exactly the civilised behaviour I would have liked to see from the angry fundamentalists back then.
I think the world has enough of thick skin. It just happens to be unequally divided. Whereas religious fundamentalists and maybe some chinese could use some more, I think there is a big group of Europeans and Americans who compensate for it.
If the suspect were from Israel, not only would there be no mention of it, but even after it was definitively known, the media would collude to suppress that fact. I think that "CBS" has a valid point. But it's all ultimately moot; because in 10 years America will be predominantly Hispanic and they will be the ones advising all of you to "get a thicker skin", in Spanish.
Is a newspaper mistake really the part of this whole event that outrages you the most? Get over yourself.
Someone just saw a chance to say "hey, I am a minority - compensate me."
This reminds me of similarly ridiculous incidents such as when a black person is offended (by that guy from Seinfeld), so the person who did it goes to 'leaders of the black community' and says sorry. What happens when a white guy is offended?
A luxury that we don't have - victimisation and the love of feeling hard done by. Ah well.
i'm chinese. i'm american too.
i think it was a bit irresponsible of the paper to suggest the killer was chinese. when that information got out, i had several colleagues approach me and politely suggest that 'we' had done something wrong.
i don't think a resignation is in order. the author of that letter is trying to make a point and i understand where he is coming from--but i think he chose the wrong platform. if you are not familiar with asian-american issues, then the idea of prejudice against asians in the western media is lost on you. i won't bother, i'm pretty sure my brothers and sisters who are reading this will nod their head in agreement.
please don't bring in the chinese govt into your argument. that's like beating on a dead horse. it's intellectual cowardice. EVERYONE knows the chinese government has MAJOR problems. c'mon. does that mean a chinese citizen has no right to comment on anything? just because his or her govt is corrupt?
the journalist should be reprimanded for his hasty work. it is reckless to make a suggestion like that when you don't have all the facts. but he shouldn't resign. he didn't say "you know those violent/gun toting chinese are at it again". that would have been absolutely absurd. he was off by a lot. but his assumption was not completely out in left field. the killer was an international student. he was asian.
but i personally felt the effects of that article hours after its publication.
chinese people (myself included) have very thick skin. but attitudes are changing in china and among asians and asian-americans. we are more vocal now. i know that makes some of the posters uncomfortable, that the once timid and indirect asian paradigm is now shifting. those of you from the states have seen this before with other minorities.
don't be scared, we don't bite.
I don't know... but in the US we are a people of many colors and cultures. After watching a bit too much CNN (and comments on the web) about this sad story and the fact that the killer was "Korean"... tells me a whole lot of how we don't see ourselves as a country sometimes.
He get's here at the age of 8 years old and he is not one of us?
The killer was born in Korea and became an American, just like the rest of us in this melting pot we all call America who's ancestors came from another country. Our home.
He was, sadly, one of us. Not only just a Korean.
My heart goes out to the friends and families of this tradegy.
CJ
I am surprised how much attention is being put on his 'Koreaness' - as if if the last 15 years had not made him American enough.
The real problem in this situation is the lax gun control laws . . . . an individual with a history of mental problems, including depression, can walk into a store and buy an automatic pistol in an hour . . . . that's disgusting. But every country has the kind of people who support these laws or ones like them . . . in America they are right wing nuts, in Germany neo-Natzis, in China and Russia government officials . . .
It's funny how Asians are so scared about the backlash in America (and the Chinese were shi**ing themselves until they found out he was Korean and breathed a big sigh of relief) - which means they really don't understand America. Americans will not hold this shooting against Koreans. Americans realize this is an isolated event committed by a crazy individual. But if it had been an American in China or Korea that did and killed 30 Asians then the entire American nation and culture would be castigated. Another example of the massive cultural divide between the occident and the orient.
america,how deo foriegn students/visitors get guns? least in england u only get stabbed x
Strong words Alex... and I get it, but it seemed to me it really was an American problem. When will it stop in our urban areas of Ameica? and the rest of the country?
This is not limited to to a crazy dude in Virginia, it happens all too often around our own home in America on a one on one basis.
when will this stop?
You would think gun control could work in the US, the fact is it does not and I am not sure what, if any, law could have prevented this tradegy.
I for one, I am not a fan of gun ownership. Would that have made a difference? I think not.
Whith that said, it is kind of cool to shoot a gun in a controlled enviornment.
But..I would never own one.
What would I really need it for?
CJ
I know I got off track here...
Let this not happen gain.... "HOYA"!
I can't believe CBS Chinaman wrote such a long letter as if it could change the western media bias and scaremongering against Chinese and China.
I also shot en email to that she-male Michael Sneed, but much more succinct:"So much for the 24 yr old Chinese student shooter, asshole!"
LOL, let's face it:
It's not the disinformationed or mistaken report, but political motivated report - every single Chinese knows it, some guys just want to make points from THAT THING, from the bood of victims.
And Chinese know it from the viey first minute of the news. It's widely discussed and analyzed on Chinese internet forums. They perfectly konw why and how it comes out - no mistake.
What the news achieved is that it successfully distracts Chinese attention from mourning the dead into a propaganda lesson - and they do learn something, a job well done.
I actually got a couple of comments and an e-mail suggesting I run a post on the fact that the killer was Chinese and had gone on this rampage out of anger that his Chinese girlfriend had left him for a caucasion. One comment even went so far as to say this was writ large for China's fews of foreigners. I deleted all of the comments and told the senders that this is a story about an evil crazy person and has nothing to do with China. I would like to think everyone who thought the killer was Chinese agrees with me on that and I would like to think nobody thinks the killer's being Korean has any significance regarding Korea.
Should a newspaper apologize to an ethnic group for getting something like this wrong?
1. This incident is indeed a reflection of how racist americans are. Shame on you.
2. Your comments also reflect there are many racist people posting in this forum
3. although americans always say they are one united nation and all that kind of bs, there has always been racism. Remember - who were using black people as slaves? why did the civil war happen? Rosa Parks was only arrested in 1955! Don't you guys know your own history? Racism is so deep seated in your minds mate!!
4. Somebody said japanese are self-confident and all that kind of bs. That really made me laugh. It shows that he doesn't know even american history and he has never interacted with any japanese people in his entire life. In fact they were really frsutrated by the fact that they are 'protected' by the americans, and they are just a bunch of cowards who don't have the courage to admit they invaded china and committed massacre everywhere such as nanjing. Unlike the Germans who deserve a lot more respect.
5. When you are not the victim of racism and if you have not been shouted 'f'n foreigner' in the street for no apparent reason, you don't have the right to comment on whether there is racism or not. Got it?
The Japanese "are a bunch of cowards". I love the twisted mentality that someone can rant about American racism and then demonstrate their own hatred of another people.
About American racism: yes, race discrimination exists in America. America is also the most ethnically mixed country in the world. It has been a long and brutal struggle but race relations in America have consistently improved, and hopefully it will only keep getting better. I doubt there are very many countries in the world that are not 'racist' - China certainly doesn't come close to being a race-blind society - I'll bet the minorities living in Shanghai from other provinces (Xinjiang, for example) have suffered worse racial discrimination than your average minority in America.
"Should a newspaper apologize to an ethnic group for getting something like this wrong?"
CLB, China is always demanding an apology from somebody for something. It's part of pertpetuating the myth among Chinese people that they are forever looked down upon and therefore should unite behind the CCP for Chinese glory and retaking China's "proper place" in the world.
@ abc
"if you have not been shouted 'f'n foreigner' in the street for no apparent reason"
No, we just get called "big nose" and "white devil" and people rudely staring at us, but we have thick skins.
Meanwhile, the quagmire that America has created in Iraq sees 30 people die everyday. 30 families grieving.
"5. When you are not the victim of racism and if you have not been shouted 'f'n foreigner' in the street for no apparent reason, you don't have the right to comment on whether there is racism or not. Got it?"
I've had "fuck you" shouted at me many times randomly in the street in three different Chinese cities (sometimes laughingly, sometimes meanly), and "fuck you go home" once. According to you, does that give me the right to comment on whether there is racism or not?
"probably not the feelings of everyone in china, but definitely more than one. i'd say "many". and as for this story's inclusion on this blog, why not? i live in shanghai and find it rather interesting."
There are a million stories out there that are interesting to people living in Shanghai, that doesn't make them relevant to the Shanghaiist blog.
Anyway, one fucked-up dude goes on a shooting spree, another fucked-up person writes that letter. It won't be the first or the last time.
@ ABC... I never owned slaves.
I would have, and still will, given up my seat to an elderly lady of any color.
I DO NOT own any of what happened in the past. I own what I do today.
ABC...You are a dick head... got it? probably not.
CJ
God bless global warming and it's insistence on wiping out the human race in a few centuries time.
@ Jon & all... AMEN.
So the reporter quoted a reliable source with information that a person of Chinese decent was being investigated in the shootings. So it turned out not to be true. It was the other media (TV, radio, etc.)that hitchiked on the story that said this was the person who committed the crime. The original story coming from a reliable source in a position to know who was being investigated was accurate. But, as often is the case, the second- and third-hand accounts screwed up the facts. It happens everyday in the media in a free society. Yes, there should be more restraint and thoughtful consideration in deciding when to publish what. Yes, other sources should be checked to verify accuracy. But runaway assumptions are not unusual in the media. They are human, too.
nanheyangrouchuan is like a infectious disease. I see that ID everywhere. He's notoriously racist towards Chinese. I find it funny how he has change the tone of his comments depending on what sites he posts. Because most sites would ban him for being an outright racist. So take his comments as if it were coming from the KKK.
BTW, nanheyangrouchuan was probably disaapointed that the shooter wasn't Chinese so he could exploit it with all its hate.
The gunman was in psychiatric council and he got the gun without any difficulty. The U.S should solve its own gun issue before bombing other countries.
@ counterstrike
If you knew a little about nanheyangrouchuan's background you might agree that he has a right to be highly critical of China.
@hpd
So what is Nanheyangrouchuan's background that gives him the right to be highly critical of China???
Fox news reported first night, it was a Chinese national, might be with student visa or illegal immigrant, and with possible terrorist link.
ABC- you're post is a crock of racists crap almost as much as those you accuse. All i can say is that i am glad most ABC's are NOT lacking in intelligence and are more in control of their irrational thoughts.
(quote by Alec)It's funny how Asians are so scared about the backlash in America (and the Chinese were shi**ing themselves until they found out he was Korean and breathed a big sigh of relief) - which means they really don't understand America. Americans will not hold this shooting against Koreans. Americans realize this is an isolated event committed by a crazy individual. But if it had been an American in China or Korea that did and killed 30 Asians then the entire American nation and culture would be castigated. Another example of the massive cultural divide between the occident and the orient.
Sorry Alec, but I disagree, many Americans DO treat minority American differently and DO use race as a refernce point. Vincent Chin was killed in the 80's mistaken for a Japanese and used as a target of frustration for American car makers' failure to compete with japanese automakers. To add insult to injury, the killers got off. These things STILL happen and the mentality is still prevelant in American society. So if you truly beleive that Americans will no in some way thin of this derranged lunatic as Korean, you are dead wrong. Sad fact.