Mark Simon paid to write the Biden report, scholars claim that using false reports to attack political opponents is a heinous crime

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Written by: Hu Jiaxin

2020-10-31 23:37

Last update date: 2020-10-31 23:37

The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) reported yesterday that an investigation report was widely circulated on the American right-wing website, accusing Hunter Biden, the son of the US presidential candidate Joe Biden, to contact the CCP and further expose it. The author of the report and the intelligence agency responsible are fictitious, and even the "Apple Daily" paid for the investigation.

Later, the "Apple Daily" clarified that it did not know, but Li Zhiying’s assistant Mark Simon admitted that there was payment, and emphasized that Li Zhiying did not know and had nothing to do with Next Media Group.

The publisher of the survey even pointed out that although the author is fictitious, the author is anonymous because of concerns about his personal safety.

The incident triggered controversy over media interference in the election, and "Apple" also refuted NBC's claim that its "spokesperson" responded to the report.

Du Yaoming, a former assistant professor in the Department of Journalism of the School of Communication of the HKBU, believes that it is "exceptable" for media organizations to have established positions on political elections, but news reports must be based on facts and should be fair and fair.

He also repeatedly emphasized that the authenticity of the contents of the report is crucial to this incident.

NBC USA reported "How a fake persona laid the groundwork for a Hunter Biden conspiracy deluge".

(Screenshot of NBC website)

"Taiwan Ping" refers to re-verification of the report content and then publishing it

According to a report by NBC yesterday, an investigation report published by "Typhoon Investigations" has flowed out on the American right-wing website a month ago. The 64-page report accused the son of US presidential candidate Biden and Hunter Biden of ties to the Chinese Communist Party. .

NBC further revealed that the author of the report, Martin Aspen, was not a real person, the photo was produced in collaboration with AI, and the source of the report "Typhoon Investigations" was also a fictitious intelligence company.

However, the publisher of the survey stated that although the author is fictitious, he is anonymous because the author is worried about his personal safety.

In the report, NBC quoted an "Apple Daily" spokesperson who claimed to have written a report, but Hong Kong’s "Apple Daily" and "Taiwan Apple Daily" both issued statements denying it, and Li Zhiying later confirmed the "Apple Daily" No inquiry from NBC has been received.

Among them, the "Taiwan Apple Daily" pointed out that even though the report has cited the content of the report, it has been rechecked.

Du Yaoming, a former assistant professor in the Department of Journalism of the School of Communication, HKBU, believes that NBC's reporting method this time is biased and has not tried its best to advance the investigation.

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Du Yaoming: Media reports on elections must be based on facts, fairness and justice

Du Yaoming, a former assistant professor in the Department of Journalism of the School of Communication of the HKBU, believes that NBC’s reporting methods were biased and did not make every effort to advance the investigation, including failure to verify the authenticity of the report, failure to seek a response from the person involved, Hunter Biden, and two After the local "Apple" issued a statement to refute, there was no immediate clarification.

Du pointed out that if the investigation report is true, the NBC report has undermined its credibility and has damaged Li Zhiying's personal reputation.

The U.S. media has a clear political stand on the presidential election. Du said that whether in Hong Kong or the United States, the media’s established stance on election reports is "unjustifiable."

He gave an example: American newspapers regarded themselves as elite publications. They believed that the media had better knowledge of the country's social and economic status than the average person, and that the attitude of candidates was professional judgment and analysis.

However, even if news organizations have a front office, Du Yaoming feels that they must keep the boundaries of media ethics, not only report facts, but also ensure fair and fair reporting.

He gave an example: the current economic environment in the United States is improving, and relevant information is very important to the public. Many major newspapers have not reported on it or adopted a smaller length to deliberately hide information that is good for Trump’s election, which is not fair. .

The key is to investigate the authenticity of the report. In the past, media commissioned institutions to pay for research

As for this time, Mark Simon, founder of Next Media’s assistant to Li Zhiying’s private company, withdrew US$10,000. As part of this investigation report, Du Yaoming believes that Mark Simon did not ask his boss for instructions on the operation of the company and obtained privately. The funds are used for investigation, which is not procedurally proper.

He pointed out that Mark Simon was not employed by Next Media, and he is currently unsure of his identity and purpose in handling the incident. He believes that he is subject to media ethics restrictions as "ambiguous", but even if he is employed by Next Media, the media commissioned There is nothing wrong with the organization doing proper research. For example, in the past, the media would look for Zhong Tingyao to conduct a civilian research investigation.

He reiterated that the key to the incident is the authenticity of the investigative report. If Mark Simon was involved in paying money to make a false report, and even using the report's conclusions to attack political opponents, he would never be correct and described it as "heinous crime."

"Hong Kong 01" emailed NBC to inquire about the response to the Hong Kong and Taiwan "Apple" statement, who the spokesperson of "Apple" referred to in the report is, and whether they can provide relevant contact evidence. NBC is waiting for a reply.

Yuan Michang, honorary lecturer of the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong, believes that the allegations made in the NBC report against Apple Daily are "national-level interference charges", making the American people wonder whether the Hong Kong media are behind the scenes. , Intervene in the US election.

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Yuan Michang: The incident damaged Hong Kong's public image in the United States

Yuan Michang, Honorary Lecturer of the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong, believes that the allegations made by the NBC report against Apple Daily are "state-level interference charges", making Americans wonder whether the Hong Kong media are "making waves" behind their backs. , Intervene in the US election.

He believes that even if Mark Simon is not an employee of Next Media, the NBC report has damaged Hong Kong’s public image in the United States. In the past, both Republican and Democratic supporters sympathized with Hong Kong people and cared about Hong Kong due to anti-revision incidents. The situation, worry that the incident will have a chance to "reverse" the attitude of the local people, which will have a long-term impact on the political situation of Hong Kong.

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