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| The U.S. Tried to Teach China a Lesson About the Media. It Backfired. | The U.S. Tried to Teach China a Lesson About the Media. It Backfired. |
| (6 days later) | |
| Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is better known for yelling at journalists than consoling them. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is better known for yelling at journalists than consoling them. |
| But when Mr. Pompeo got on the phone with the publishers of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times on March 21, he said he was there to offer help, according to a person with direct knowledge of the call. And he acknowledged that the Trump administration’s latest shot at China had been, if not wrong, poorly timed. | But when Mr. Pompeo got on the phone with the publishers of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times on March 21, he said he was there to offer help, according to a person with direct knowledge of the call. And he acknowledged that the Trump administration’s latest shot at China had been, if not wrong, poorly timed. |
| That’s because on March 2 — a month after President Trump banned travel from China, and the day the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States passed 100 — the State Department announced a long-planned expulsion of about 60 employees of five Chinese state media outlets working in the United States. | That’s because on March 2 — a month after President Trump banned travel from China, and the day the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States passed 100 — the State Department announced a long-planned expulsion of about 60 employees of five Chinese state media outlets working in the United States. |
| The U.S. move gave the Communist Party the perfect excuse to get rid of pesky American journalists who had, over the previous two months, offered the world a window into China’s deadly mistakes in responding to the outbreak of the virus. On March 17, China slammed that window shut, announcing the expulsion of reporters for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and New York Times, and forcing the firing of Chinese nationals who worked for those outlets as well as for Voice of America and CNN. | The U.S. move gave the Communist Party the perfect excuse to get rid of pesky American journalists who had, over the previous two months, offered the world a window into China’s deadly mistakes in responding to the outbreak of the virus. On March 17, China slammed that window shut, announcing the expulsion of reporters for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and New York Times, and forcing the firing of Chinese nationals who worked for those outlets as well as for Voice of America and CNN. |
| “Given the fact that it’s vital to have good information out of China right now because of coronavirus, the U.S. decision was pretty disastrous timing,” said Megha Rajagopalan, a correspondent for BuzzFeed News whose visa was not renewed in 2018 after she reported about the mass internment of Muslims in China. Ms. Rajagopalan and other expelled reporters stressed, however, that the U.S. crackdown in no way compares with the brazen Chinese efforts to undermine a free media. | “Given the fact that it’s vital to have good information out of China right now because of coronavirus, the U.S. decision was pretty disastrous timing,” said Megha Rajagopalan, a correspondent for BuzzFeed News whose visa was not renewed in 2018 after she reported about the mass internment of Muslims in China. Ms. Rajagopalan and other expelled reporters stressed, however, that the U.S. crackdown in no way compares with the brazen Chinese efforts to undermine a free media. |
| “The Chinese government is at fault, far and above the U.S. government,” she said. | “The Chinese government is at fault, far and above the U.S. government,” she said. |
| A senior administration official, who explained the policy on the condition of anonymity after I reached out to the State Department, told me that the U.S. move had been on the wish list of American counterintelligence officials and China hawks, and was pursued “on a totally different track from coronavirus.” The official argued that even in early March, the virus was “not the all-consuming epidemic that it was now.” | A senior administration official, who explained the policy on the condition of anonymity after I reached out to the State Department, told me that the U.S. move had been on the wish list of American counterintelligence officials and China hawks, and was pursued “on a totally different track from coronavirus.” The official argued that even in early March, the virus was “not the all-consuming epidemic that it was now.” |
| But the ill-timed U.S. action underscores how slow the Trump administration was to recognize that the coronavirus would effectively be the most consuming issue this year. The United States made its point — but paid a big price for it. China lost reporters for low-impact state media outlets, while American citizens and leaders lost access to rare up-close reporting in an increasingly closed state. | But the ill-timed U.S. action underscores how slow the Trump administration was to recognize that the coronavirus would effectively be the most consuming issue this year. The United States made its point — but paid a big price for it. China lost reporters for low-impact state media outlets, while American citizens and leaders lost access to rare up-close reporting in an increasingly closed state. |
| The administration “didn’t really accomplish much,” said Marcus Brauchli, a former Wall Street Journal editor and former China correspondent. He said that he doubted the U.S. government had “better sources on the ground than the journalists who were expelled. So they just sacrificed one eye — for what?” | The administration “didn’t really accomplish much,” said Marcus Brauchli, a former Wall Street Journal editor and former China correspondent. He said that he doubted the U.S. government had “better sources on the ground than the journalists who were expelled. So they just sacrificed one eye — for what?” |
| These questions are not easy ones. The rise of Xi Jinping’s authoritarianism in China is the story of a generation. The battle now is over who controls that story, and that battle has only intensified as citizens around the world try to understand the coronavirus crisis — and governments around the world try to deflect blame for the deep losses it has caused. | These questions are not easy ones. The rise of Xi Jinping’s authoritarianism in China is the story of a generation. The battle now is over who controls that story, and that battle has only intensified as citizens around the world try to understand the coronavirus crisis — and governments around the world try to deflect blame for the deep losses it has caused. |
| The status of foreign correspondents in China has been fraught since Mao Zedong established Communist rule in 1949 and tossed out the foreign correspondents. The country only let them back in the late 1970s, as my colleague Li Yuan wrote last month, though it still occasionally expelled particularly aggressive ones. (Chinese journalists continue to take far greater risks to report on their government.) | The status of foreign correspondents in China has been fraught since Mao Zedong established Communist rule in 1949 and tossed out the foreign correspondents. The country only let them back in the late 1970s, as my colleague Li Yuan wrote last month, though it still occasionally expelled particularly aggressive ones. (Chinese journalists continue to take far greater risks to report on their government.) |
| China’s openness peaked around the 2008 Olympics, and tensions over foreign correspondents have been rising since then. In 2013, after The Times reported that Bloomberg News had spiked a sensitive story involving the party elite and a Chinese tycoon, the Chinese government signaled that it would not renew visas for either outlet. | China’s openness peaked around the 2008 Olympics, and tensions over foreign correspondents have been rising since then. In 2013, after The Times reported that Bloomberg News had spiked a sensitive story involving the party elite and a Chinese tycoon, the Chinese government signaled that it would not renew visas for either outlet. |
| The Obama administration debated expelling Chinese media executives in return, but ultimately did not, after Vice President Joe Biden persuaded Chinese government officials to renew the American reporters’ visas. | The Obama administration debated expelling Chinese media executives in return, but ultimately did not, after Vice President Joe Biden persuaded Chinese government officials to renew the American reporters’ visas. |
| The logic at the time, said Ryan Hass, who was then the director for China on the National Security Council, was that “it’s pretty difficult to win a race to the bottom with the Chinese.” | The logic at the time, said Ryan Hass, who was then the director for China on the National Security Council, was that “it’s pretty difficult to win a race to the bottom with the Chinese.” |
| This time around, the Trump administration has a broader goal of strengthening the U.S. position against China on all fronts, abandoning the once broadly held theory that China’s embrace of open markets and engagement with the West would ultimately lead it to adopt democratic values. | This time around, the Trump administration has a broader goal of strengthening the U.S. position against China on all fronts, abandoning the once broadly held theory that China’s embrace of open markets and engagement with the West would ultimately lead it to adopt democratic values. |
| The president wants to rebalance the relationship, and one obvious imbalance is that Chinese journalists in the United States operate far more freely, and obtain visas more easily, than their American counterparts in China. And so the Trump administration began in 2019 by forcing state media employees to register as foreign agents. | The president wants to rebalance the relationship, and one obvious imbalance is that Chinese journalists in the United States operate far more freely, and obtain visas more easily, than their American counterparts in China. And so the Trump administration began in 2019 by forcing state media employees to register as foreign agents. |
| Things escalated this year when, at a Feb. 24 meeting, Mr. Pompeo’s team proposed the expulsion of some Chinese state media staff members, said an official with knowledge of the meeting, who wasn’t authorized to discuss it. | Things escalated this year when, at a Feb. 24 meeting, Mr. Pompeo’s team proposed the expulsion of some Chinese state media staff members, said an official with knowledge of the meeting, who wasn’t authorized to discuss it. |
| The administration was trying to “stand up for the ability of American media outlets to keep reporting the news out of China,” Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser who is a former Wall Street Journal reporter, said on a call with journalists on March 2. (Reporters participated in the call on the condition they identify Mr. Pottinger only as a “senior administration official”; I wasn’t on the call, and a person with direct knowledge of it later identified Mr. Pottinger to me.) | The administration was trying to “stand up for the ability of American media outlets to keep reporting the news out of China,” Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser who is a former Wall Street Journal reporter, said on a call with journalists on March 2. (Reporters participated in the call on the condition they identify Mr. Pottinger only as a “senior administration official”; I wasn’t on the call, and a person with direct knowledge of it later identified Mr. Pottinger to me.) |
| Updated July 7, 2020 | |
| The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| China acted quickly, and its officials portrayed the expulsions as purely a reaction to the American move. “It was all initiated in the United States,” Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the United States, said in an interview with GZero World. But the expulsions appear to have been long sought by China. And a commentary in the state-run Global Times confirmed that it was about the content of the reporting, citing coverage of the detentions of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang as well as reporting about the coronavirus as part of the government’s motivation. | China acted quickly, and its officials portrayed the expulsions as purely a reaction to the American move. “It was all initiated in the United States,” Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the United States, said in an interview with GZero World. But the expulsions appear to have been long sought by China. And a commentary in the state-run Global Times confirmed that it was about the content of the reporting, citing coverage of the detentions of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang as well as reporting about the coronavirus as part of the government’s motivation. |
| U.S. officials acknowledge that they didn’t see the expulsions coming. | U.S. officials acknowledge that they didn’t see the expulsions coming. |
| On the call with publishers, Mr. Pompeo offered to help. But there isn’t a clear path to persuading China — which has little interest in critical coverage — to stop whittling away at a foreign press corps that still includes dozens of U.S. journalists and a range of international media. | On the call with publishers, Mr. Pompeo offered to help. But there isn’t a clear path to persuading China — which has little interest in critical coverage — to stop whittling away at a foreign press corps that still includes dozens of U.S. journalists and a range of international media. |
| Now, the administration is considering its next step, which could be to expel specific Chinese journalists it views as spies, Edward Wong and Julian E. Barnes reported. Other ideas are also being discussed, said Michael Pillsbury, a Trump adviser and director of the Hudson Institute’s Center on Chinese Strategy, including whether Chinese access to the big American platforms of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook could be limited. (The platforms are blocked in China, but are powerful vehicles for Chinese propaganda globally.) | Now, the administration is considering its next step, which could be to expel specific Chinese journalists it views as spies, Edward Wong and Julian E. Barnes reported. Other ideas are also being discussed, said Michael Pillsbury, a Trump adviser and director of the Hudson Institute’s Center on Chinese Strategy, including whether Chinese access to the big American platforms of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook could be limited. (The platforms are blocked in China, but are powerful vehicles for Chinese propaganda globally.) |
| To read the coverage of the expelled reporters is to understand what is lost. Revelatory investigations in the Times, Post and Journal exposed Chinese government mistakes and cover-ups as the coronavirus spread. | To read the coverage of the expelled reporters is to understand what is lost. Revelatory investigations in the Times, Post and Journal exposed Chinese government mistakes and cover-ups as the coronavirus spread. |
| Other articles simply let American readers “identify with Chinese pain,” as The Washington Post’s Emily Rauhala put it. There was The Wall Street Journal’s look at the chaos in a Wuhan hospital, Anna Fifield’s reporting in The Post on the suspicions of grieving families, Amy Qin’s portrait of a devastated family in The Times and the empathetic tweets by Chris Buckley of The Times. | Other articles simply let American readers “identify with Chinese pain,” as The Washington Post’s Emily Rauhala put it. There was The Wall Street Journal’s look at the chaos in a Wuhan hospital, Anna Fifield’s reporting in The Post on the suspicions of grieving families, Amy Qin’s portrait of a devastated family in The Times and the empathetic tweets by Chris Buckley of The Times. |
| Now, the U.S. and Chinese governments seem to be shifting their focus to the blame game. Mr. Pottinger has been pushing the plausible, but unproven theory that the pandemic started with an accident in a Chinese lab. The claim has entered the Washington spin cycle, with echoes of the run-up to the Iraq war. And the fewer independent American reporters there are working in Beijing, the more the China story may be shaped by U.S. officials. | Now, the U.S. and Chinese governments seem to be shifting their focus to the blame game. Mr. Pottinger has been pushing the plausible, but unproven theory that the pandemic started with an accident in a Chinese lab. The claim has entered the Washington spin cycle, with echoes of the run-up to the Iraq war. And the fewer independent American reporters there are working in Beijing, the more the China story may be shaped by U.S. officials. |
| The Chinese government “is going to discover the cost of not having a significant presence of reporters on the ground,” said Mr. Buckley, an Australian New York Times reporter who has also been told to leave China after his visa expired when he was in quarantine in Wuhan. “The China story as a whole becomes even more hostage to these lurid representations and misrepresentations of the country that you would think the Chinese government would have some interests in allowing people to rebut.” | The Chinese government “is going to discover the cost of not having a significant presence of reporters on the ground,” said Mr. Buckley, an Australian New York Times reporter who has also been told to leave China after his visa expired when he was in quarantine in Wuhan. “The China story as a whole becomes even more hostage to these lurid representations and misrepresentations of the country that you would think the Chinese government would have some interests in allowing people to rebut.” |
| Meanwhile, a Chinese journalist in Washington told me that China Global Television Network already has a plan to replace the staff it sent home: They’ll hire some American journalists on contract to help with the propaganda broadcasts. | Meanwhile, a Chinese journalist in Washington told me that China Global Television Network already has a plan to replace the staff it sent home: They’ll hire some American journalists on contract to help with the propaganda broadcasts. |
| In this job market, they probably won’t be hard to find. | In this job market, they probably won’t be hard to find. |