Tiananmen Square: Journalistic Courage Amid Chaos

There are few American journalists reporting from inside China today. But that has not always been the case. In fact, American journalists in China freely reported on one of the biggest stories of recent history: the Chinese army’s massacre of protestors in Tiananmen Square in 1989. In this episode, we talk to Richard Roth, a CBS correspondent who was there during the 1989 protests. We feature Lingling Wei, the distinguished Wall Street Journal correspondent who was kicked out of China, along with other American reporters. How are journalists today reporting on China from afar? At this vital time, how do we get on the ground reporting from China when we can’t be on the ground?  

Guest: Lingling Wei, Wall Street Journal, Chinese born journalist now in New York

Book Recommendations:

Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People’s Republic by Mike Chinoy

Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life by Nicholas Kristof.

Sound design, original score, mixing and mastering by Rowhome Productions. Rowhome’s Creative Director is Alex Lewis. John Myers is Rowhome’s Executive Producer.

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