(Clearwisdom.net) Note: this commentary is for our readers' reference. The opinions it contains do not necessarily represent the opinions of Falun Gong practitioners. It is excerpted from "Open" magazine.

Let's first talk about Zhao An, an official at the rank of division head, and a program director.

CCTV is a media body at the deputy ministerial level. Its station head enjoys the rank of deputy minister, the heads of various centers hold the rank of bureau chief, the heads of various divisions hold the same rank as heads of departments, and producers enjoy the same rank as section heads.

Early this year, Zhao An, deputy head of the Center of Literature and Art, and director of the Department of Arts, was arrested by Beijing police. Zhao previously helped direct seven Spring Festival Celebration Galas and was appointed the general director four times. News of his arrest was widely spread by many media in China. He was involved in bribery, receiving large sums of money and six cars. Employees in the TV and Radio Broadcast system and some artists reported, with verified evidence, that the Anti-corruption Bureau of the No. 1 Branch of Beijing People's Procuratorate filed a case to investigate and took action in September. It was quoted, "His home was searched, and more than 10 million Yuan in cash was found." However, Beijing official media recently reported that the amount of the money involved in Zhao's case was only 610,000 Yuan, and that he only received bribes from one person, Zhang Junyi. Actually, no one in the Beijing media believes this official claim.

Zhao An had some power, and he was one of the key figures in the Department of Literature and Art that supervise human resources, finance, and property. Part of Zhao's responsibilities was to supervise the broadcast schedule and broadcast contents. For producers, reporters, and general staff who did not have social connections, Zhao also had the power to determine whether they would keep their jobs and what type of jobs they might do. For artists or art organizations, Zhao had the power to determine whether, when, and how often they could have shows. Of course, Zhao was also controlled by those above him in CCTV, the General Bureau of TV and Radio Broadcast, and the Chinese Propaganda Department.

People in art circles who know the inside story said, "Among those in CCTV who have the same position and power as Zhao, Zhao is not even among the greediest. There are quite a number of officials in CCTV who are stupid and greedy. This is the real reason why Zhao's case was turned from a big case into small one.

Now let's talk about Zhang Guangtu, an official of section-rank and former producer of the program series "Figures in the East" (Dongfang Zhi Zi). Zhang Guangtu was arrested on June 3, 2001. The official arrest document was from the prosecutor's office. It was said he was released one year later, and he has now vanished without a trace. If you search for his name on the Internet, his dazzling past still shines with a bit of diminishing light. It also mentions the two books of which he was the chef editor--Recalling Twenty Years of History -- Figures During the Twenty-Year Open Reform of China and Fields of Spiritual Qualities" -- Interviews with 'Figures in the East."

CCTV introduced the "Figures in the East" as follows: "Figures in the East" is a program that interviews important people, and it is the longest running and most influential interview program on CCTV. It is also the most authoritative program, interviewing the highest-ranking figures on television.

The program has covered the most outstanding figures in the East. Some of them have made outstanding contributions to the country and the nation, some have displayed exceptional qualities, and some have unique understandings about life and society.

The show started on May 1, 1993 and has interviewed more than 2000 "figures" in the East, including high-level political figures, distinguished persons in academic circles, giants in business, as well as influential artists, scientists, and social activists.

However, among those who were interviewed in the show, CCTV failed to mention who had been arrested and who had become a 'Figure in the East' by paying huge sums of money. Among those special guests on the show who have been arrested are both high-ranking political officials and outstanding figures in business. Zhang Guangtu was exposed while the Discipline Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee was investigating the case of corrupt mayor Mu Suixin of Shenyang City. Insiders from CCTV said, "During the investigation of Mu Suixin, it was found that hundreds of thousands of yuan of public money flowed into the personal account of Zhang Guangtu. This was part of the price for Mu Suixin to be on the show 'Figures in the East.' Zhang Guangtu was arrested according to the law after evidence was verified by the prosecutor. On June 3, 2001 Zhang Guangtu, one of the founders of the "Spiritual Garden" program, was officially arrested; however, the press conference on Mu Suixin's case was not held until June 15. The news of Zhang Guangtu's arrest was blocked amazingly well. Very few people in CCTV knew about this except for those in the CCTV news commentary department where Zhang Guangtu worked.

Why is it that all the media in China try to cover up the criminal offence of a corrupt section-rank official and producer? There is only one answer: The higher authorities have a guilty conscience and are fearful of people making connections in their minds. If the Discipline Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee invited the Hong Kong ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) to investigate the case, they would expose a large number of people like Zhao An and Zhang Guangtu.

Since a producer of section-rank was able to collect hundreds of thousands in cash for just one show, what could the heads of departments, heads of centers, and heads of CCTV have done, abusing their power? The program "Figures in the East" has been running daily for nine years and seven months. Zhang Guangtu is only one in a line of its successive producers. Anyone above him, such as heads of the commentary department, director of the news center, heads of CCTV, or even higher authorities could decide who would be the next producer for the show. Zhang Guangtu has only 8 minutes of broadcast time per day for the show. How about those who have one hour, 24 hours, or even multiple channels for broadcast? For a TV network that has billions in annual income and more than 10 thousand employees, led by those more or less like Zhang An and Zhang Guangtu without efficient supervision, how can you expect them to obey the law? It has been already proven through CCTV's own programs that on major issues CCTV programs are filled with false news that deceive their superiors and their subordinates, mislead the people and cause long-term damage to China and the Chinese people.

Media reporters are responsible to report to the world, governments, and the people what, when, where, and why something happened, and how to deal with it. There are however only two words to be heard around every CCTV studio and workshop and in the mind of every CCTV person in charge -- "Broadcast safely." Once "broadcasting safely" is achieved, money will keep rolling in and promotion will be a sure thing. Who cares about what has just been broadcast and what harm it might bring about by being misleading? There is no place for morality and conscience when it comes to personal fame and fortune. However the masses have sharp eyes. There are already people calling out on the Internet, "What is 'Focal Point' doing? In its earlier shows, it's like they were hitting mosquitoes with anti-aircraft guns, and now it's like they're using microscopes to look for viruses. They never expose any major or important cases. Even if they did, they would only touch it lightly, trying to turn big problems into small ones."

China lacks systematic supervision, and officials have few professional ethics. In a general environment such as this, it is commonplace for government officials at different levels to report only the good news and not the bad. Because of the news control system and language barriers, officials as well as the public have very few sources to find out what's going on in China and in the world, and they very much depend on what is reported on Chinese TV news programs. They rely on what the TV programs say, what the programs lead them to believe and what the programs teach them. The CCTV, as a monopoly media, deceives not just the common people but the officials as well. Therefore, by the time the officials find that something has gone seriously wrong, it might have already worsened to a state beyond repair and have caused huge losses. For example, SARS was first diagnosed in November 2002, but the news was not released until April 2003. How many opportunities to report the news were missed in those five months! In fact it was to CCTV that Jiang Yanyong (the doctor who first informed the world about the SARS crisis in China) first sent his reports, but there was no response -- it was like a stone dropping to the bottom of an ocean. Finally when Jiang Yanyong had no other alternatives, he bravely reported the news to the US media so that many people in Beijing, China, and the world could be saved. At the same time, the new generation of the Chinese government suffered shame, and financial as well as political damage as a result.

The following are a few words from the hearts of CCTV personnel that have circulated for many years:

I am a dog of the Party and guard at the gate of the Party

I bite whomever the Party asks me to bite and take whatever number of bites the Party orders me to take.

Hua Jialiang

Chinese News Reporter

From Open magazine, January 2004 (Excerpted)