Move over, mistresses. Corrupt officials in China have another reason to be afraid: reporters with Weibo accounts.
Last week Liu Tienan, former deputy head of China’s top economic planning body, was expelled from the Communist Party and removed from public office. China’s Ministry of Inspection said (in Chinese) that Mr. Liu “took advantage of his position to seek profits for others, and both Liu and his family accepted a huge amount of bribes.”
While such cases are common, Ms. Liu’s fall attracted attention because he first fell under criticism by a reporter using a personal account on the Sina Weibo microblogging service.
Luo Changping, the deputy chief editor of the independent magazine Caijing, alleged on his verified account in December that Mr. Liu cheated domestic banks, kept a mistress and listed a fake degree among his accomplishments. Caijing magazine previously wrote an article, he said, but it failed to attract significant attention.
Traditional media such as newspapers and broadcasters are strictly controlled by the party’s propaganda arm, and bold exposure of corruption can lead to problems for not only the whistleblower but the media outlet as well.
Other reporters who have taken allegations of corruption public include Wang Wenzhi, a reporter for a newspaper controlled by the Xinhua news agency, who accused China Resources (Holdings) of overpaying for a deal. China Resources has said it has done nothing wrong and reserves the right to take legal action for libel.
Liu Hu, a reporter at a Guangzhou-based newspaper, alleged that an official at the State Administration of Industry and Commerce had abused power and helped others to embezzle state-owned assets. SAIC spokesperson responded that the administration had forwarded the information to its leaders.
Official media praised the moves. In an editorial on Friday, Xinhua said that “protecting whistleblowers is the best way to encourage real-name tip-offs, so that the public could contribute to anti-corruption efforts without fear, and corrupt officials would find nowhere to hide.”
Still, officials appear to want to keep a tight rein on the practice. Communist Party’s mouthpiece People’s Daily said through its official Weibo account that the Internet can’t solve all problems, and only the “system” — referring to the public inspection system – can root out corruption.
Also, disclosing corruption and power abuse in China remains risky. Yang Qiongwen, a reporter at a local newspaper in Hainan province, said through his Tencent Weibo account that he was forced to resign after breaking a child sex scandal. Even simply calling for greater disclosure of official’s assets can be dangerous, as evidenced by the detention last month of more than a dozen transparency advocates, including moderate reform advocate Xu Zhiyong.
Many online suggest that the freedom for reporters to directly criticize officials will inevitably hit a line. They said that Mr. Liu is only a “little tiger” — referring to President Xi Jinping’s campaign to take on both powerful “tigers” in high places as well as small-time “flies” in the bureaucracy as he seeks to root out corruption.
Wang Zhi, a director at the official China Radio International, said through his verified Weibo account that Mr. Liu’s downfall came at the hands of a group of retired powerful officials, hinting that Mr. Luo’s report wasn’t the only cause.
Mr. Luo also acknowledged the limit to social media’s power in an interview with a local newspaper in Beijing last week. The interview was later republished by Caijing magazine’s website. The magazine’s editorial department didn’t answer calls on Monday.
When asked whether Internet whistleblowing will change China’s anti-corruption system, Mr. Luo said it is very difficult. “This is only a change in the method of whistleblowing,” he said in the interview (in Chinese). “It is not a breakthrough in the system.”
Mr. Luo also discouraged other reporters from whistleblowing on Weibo without assessing risks first. Reporters need to collect more evidence and never get involved in a conflict of interest, he said (in Chinese).