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 The outrage over safety lapses by Changsheng Bio-technology Co Ltd
in some of its vaccines for children came six days after the issue
was flagged in regulatory filings, triggered instead by a July 21
article posted on the popular WeChat messaging platform.
Titled "Vaccine King" and posted to a WeChat account managed by
former journalists, it critiqued business practices by Changsheng's
chairwoman and was read tens of thousands of times before being
deleted the next day. Even then, myriad links and copied versions
circulated on China's internet. Some netizens even used blockchain
technology to preserve the story.
The enormous impact of the so-called "zi meiti", or "self-media"
article marks a threat to efforts by China's ruling Communist Party
to tighten its grip over content online.
"This is a guerrilla war. The government cannot tackle it just like
it does traditional media," said Fang Kecheng, a Chinese media
researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, adding that while one
zi meiti account could be shut down, many others would spring up in
its place.
The article touched a nerve in a country already scarred by a long
history of drug and food scandals. A day later Chinese social media
was ablaze.
Mentions of "Changsheng" hit close to 100 million that day,
according to a WeChat index that tracks popular key words, a 2,500
percent rise versus the day before. One hashtag conversation about
the scandal on popular microblog site Weibo has now been read over
820 million times.
For Shenzhen-listed Changsheng, judgement was swift.
Authorities launched multiple investigations, its chairwoman and 14
other people have been detained by the police and President Xi
Jinping has called the scandal "vile and shocking".
The company, which has publicly apologized, has lost $1.9 billion or
more than half of it market value since mid-July, and has flagged
that it could be delisted.
"The vaccine scandal came out a week ago and there was just a fine
of several hundred thousand. After the 'Vaccine King' spread, 15
people including the boss have been detained," one person wrote on
Weibo.
"The impact of just one article is pretty scary."
The WeChat account that posted the story is one of many zi meiti
groups not affiliated with a media organization. It is known for
controversial coverage of China's property firms, the stock market
and acquisitive conglomerates. Its articles are not bylined,
carrying only the name of the group, Shou Ye. Writers earn money
through voluntary donations from readers.
"DESTRUCTIVE FORCES"
For China, keeping a tight grip on the flow of information is seen
as key to maintaining social stability in the world's most populous
nation.
As the scandal unfolded, many on social media initially complained
their critical posts were being taken down. Later, however, it
seemed China's censors - who play a constant role regulating the
country's internet - had loosened the reins.
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Some people took the opportunity to dig into the firm's and the
chairwoman's past. There were even fake posts pretending to be U.S.
President Donald Trump.
"It is UNFAIR and DISGRACEFUL that our great American pharmaceutical
companies are excluded from Chinese market, where dozens of lives
could be saved. UNJUST. THIS MUST CHANGE!" said one parody
circulating on WeChat.
The tension, however, between allowing a free and unruly discourse
and a censorship apparatus that routinely monitors and controls
topics, was not far from the surface.
An editorial by the state-run Global Times on Monday warned there
were "destructive forces" looking to "stir up havoc" and that if
online discourse was left uncontrolled, the country could be led
towards chaos.
For Chinese citizens who shed light on scandals, especially on
sensitive medical safety issues that could flare up and lead to
social unrest, consequences can be harsh.
Lawyers Tang Jingling and Yu Wensheng, who represented parents in
separate vaccine scandals, are currently in jail. Journalist Wang
Keqin was removed from his post in 2011 after writing about a case
involving mishandled vaccines.
When criticism is allowed, it is also often vetted, human rights
experts said.
"Amid the current scandal, while netizens are free to condemn the
drug company, news articles and social media posts that showed the
Chinese government in a critical light continue to be censored,"
Sophie Richardson, China Director of Human Rights Watch, wrote in a
post.
The rise of self-media, however, has created a new dynamic.
Media researcher Fang said Chinese authorities could now look to
make their own use of zi meiti, having seen its impact.
"What people should be alarmed about is that after realizing how
powerful this medium is, the government might use it as a propaganda
tool itself," he said.
(GRAPHIC-Vaccine scandal goes viral in China (interactive version)
https://tmsnrt.rs/2mMnZEx)
(GRAPHIC-Viral vaccine scandal in China - https://tmsnrt.rs/2mIiC9q)
(This version of the story was refiled to fix a word in the
headline)
(Reporting by Adam Jourdan in Shanghai and Pei Li in Beijing;
Additional reporting by Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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