Chinese Canadian Post editor says she was fired over Chan critique

Ya think they're onto us?

The editor-in-chief of a Chinese-language newspaper says she was forced out of her job for publishing a column that criticized the conduct of Ontario cabinet minister Michael Chan.

In a statement released to The Globe and Mail, the former editor of the Chinese Canadian Post, Helen Wang, said she was ousted after the Toronto-based periodical received complaints from the Chinese consulate in Toronto and pro-Beijing groups that back the minister.

In June, The Globe identified Mr. Chan as the subject of a 2010 CSIS briefing to Queen’s Park that alleged an unusual closeness to China’s Toronto consulate. The spy agency never investigated the minister, nor was he ever suspected of a crime.

Written by freelancer Jonathan Fon, the June 26 commentary chastised Mr. Chan, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade, for implying that the spy agency’s concerns about him cast suspicion over all minorities. Mr. Fon argued that the concerns were solely about Mr. Chan.

Ms. Wang said that after Mr. Fon’s article ran, her boss, Joe Zhang, told her the paper received complaints, including from the consulate and the paper’s proprietor, Cheng Yi Wei, who also is president of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO).

The confederation is known in the community for its close ties to the consulate and the provincial and federal Liberals. Ms. Wang was dismissed on July 17.

Mr. Fon’s column – and its alleged consequences – underscore a wider debate in his community: whether the Chan affair questions the loyalty of all Chinese-Canadians or one politician’s behaviour.  (more...)

Chinese Canadian Post editor says she was fired over Chan critique

A lesson in the modern propaganda industry:

Manufactured journalism