Chapter 646 Suspension of publication for rectification
Haiyan just received a call from his boss, whose tone was icy and clearly furious.
Before, Lin Weimin asked Haiyan for help, and Haiyan did his best to submit the report given to him by Lin Weimin to a leader he was familiar with, who had considerable say in their public security system.
Haiyan did not try to be clever, but stated the conflict between Lin Weimin and Southern Metropolis Weekend clearly.
The leader took the matter up after a brief thought, and said to Haiyan with a smile: "Editor-in-Chief Lin is using an open strategy, I have no choice but to accept it."
There is no fool who can reach this level. How could the leader not understand Lin Weimin’s thoughts?
In fact, the Guowen Press where Lin Weimin worked and Southern Metropolis Weekend belong to the same system, but because they are located in the south and the north respectively and have no affiliation, and in addition, the reform and conservative forces have been constantly entangled in recent years. Media like Southern Metropolis Weekend, which stand at the forefront of reform and opening up, claim to be pioneers and look down on many of their mainland counterparts. Therefore, it is normal that Lin Weimin has poor communication.
He had also read the report about Lin Weimin in Southern Metropolis Weekend. The problem was neither serious nor minor. The worst point was that it fabricated facts.
This kind of question is of course disgusting to me, but it seems insignificant to some outsiders.
Even if Lin Weimin really breaks off relations with Southern Metropolis Weekend, whether he does it himself or goes to higher authorities to explain the situation and exert pressure, let alone whether he can make his point clear, there will inevitably be gossip from mediocre people such as "making a mountain out of a molehill".
The angle of entry he was looking for now was not only tricky, but also completely avoided putting himself in a passive position.
As long as he accepts the challenge, Lin Weimin will be able to sit back and relax.
This matter is related to the public security system. If it is true, it is a challenge to authority and must be dealt with severely and strictly. If it is false, it is the newspaper and the author who are smearing their law enforcement agency and are also trampling on the dignity of the journalism industry.
As long as he knew about the issuance of the certificate, he had to take care of it no matter from which perspective.
The leader thought about it and couldn't help but admire Lin Weimin.
It is said that scholars have many minds, and it is true. The other party is young and holds a high position, only half a level lower than himself, so he is indeed not an ordinary person.
Haiyan felt relieved when he saw his leader's performance.
These two days, he has been waiting for news from his leader.
The leader just called to explain the situation.
It has been confirmed by Southern Metropolis Weekend that the content of "The Assault on J" is completely fictitious and was fabricated by the author Liu Yushun. Southern Metropolis Weekend admitted that it has responsibility for the incident and will immediately launch a self-examination and self-correction campaign to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The position of Southern Metropolis Weekend was not recognized by the leadership. Although the leadership did not directly tell Haiyan his opinion on how to deal with the matter, the leadership said: "Tell Editor-in-Chief Lin that this matter must be dealt with seriously."
Haiyan didn't know what the leader meant by "serious handling", but he knew Lin Weimin must know.
Sure enough, after receiving Haiyan's call, Lin Weimin laughed heartily.
"It will be dealt with seriously. Haiyan, thank your leaders for me. I am indebted to you two for doing me a favor this time!"
Two days later, an explosive piece of news spread throughout the Chinese media.
"Nandu Weekend" was asked by higher authorities to suspend publication and rectify the situation!
As soon as the news came out, it caused an uproar in the news industry.
China's reform and opening-up process has lasted for more than ten years, during which time it has been accompanied by a constant struggle between various reform and conservative forces.
Among them, many media are the generals who lead the charge.
As one of the most important newspapers in Guangdong, Southern Metropolis Weekend has always been a pioneer in reform. In recent years, it has worked hard to create a great reputation in the Chinese journalism industry and its sales have repeatedly set new records.
However, such a major newspaper with great influence across the country was ordered to suspend publication and rectify by the higher authorities.
It is said that due to lax censorship, false content was published, and the leader of the public security system caught him red-handed and reported him to the propaganda department.
When the vast majority of my colleagues in the news industry heard the news, they felt happy.
"Nandu Weekend" has an ostentatious style of doing things. Many people have complained that some of their reports are inaccurate, but they have deep roots and don't care about these comments at all.
Now he has finally received the punishment he deserves, which is good news for most journalists with ethics and conscience.
However, another small group of media outlets were really shocked after learning that Southern Metropolis Weekend was suspended for rectification. Almost all of these media outlets made the same mistake as Southern Metropolis Weekend.
The current "Nandu Weekend" may very likely end up like them.
Southern Metropolis Weekend, which was bustling with people a week ago, was now completely silent.
Suspension of publication for rectification is not scary, what is scary is that there is no time limit given.
This is enough to show that the higher-ups are dissatisfied with Southern Metropolis Weekend. It will be impossible for it to resume publication unless it is changed to the satisfaction of the higher-ups.
Come to think of it, the Propaganda Department has always been a large department, and the top leader is sometimes concurrently an elder. Now that he has been reported to the police by the leaders of the public security system, it is really embarrassing!
"Nandu Weekend" is under the jurisdiction of the news department. Although the Press and Publication Administration is now directly under the State Council, the Propaganda Department can still serve as half of the Press and Publication Administration, and this matter is indeed related to the business of the propaganda department.
At the order, the once-powerful "Nandu Weekend" completely ceased operations, not even daring to think of a trace of resistance.
The editorial office was full of people as usual, but it was different from the lively scene in the past.
Everyone had a sad look on their face and the atmosphere was depressing.
Zhao Gongli had been receiving congratulations from many colleagues and felt that his life had reached its peak. However, just a few days later, the newspaper was shut down.
Zhao Gongli could not help but turn his gaze to the editor-in-chief's office, where two cadres from the provincial propaganda department were sitting. They were there to guide the suspension and rectification work of the newspaper.
This time, the action is serious against Southern Metropolis Weekend. Not only the article "The Assault on J" that caused the suspension of publication, but all reports from previous years will be traced back and verified one by one. If any problems are found, the relevant responsible persons will be severely punished.
When Zhao Gongli thought about this, he couldn't help but break out in a thin sweat.
He has worked at Southern Metropolis Weekend for many years. Although he is just a small fry, he has learned a lot of inside information through observation and exposure.
Including himself, it was in this environment that he began to abandon the professional ethics of a journalist and quickly degenerated.
Thinking about the things he had done in the article, Zhao Gongli was filled with regret.
What if it gets discovered...
Zhao Gongli shook his head and drove the thought out of his mind.
It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter, the law does not hold everyone responsible, the law does not hold everyone responsible!
“Squeak!”
The door of the editor-in-chief's office was pushed open, and several leaders of the company respectfully saw the leader of the propaganda department out.
Zuo Fang stood at the back of the crowd, his face looking as if he had lost his parents.
After seeing the person off, Li Mengyu turned around and saw Zuo Fang's expression. A hint of anger appeared on his face, but he still suppressed his anger.
“The worst-case scenario is dismissal, so stop imagining things, actively cooperate with the rectification, and show our attitude.
"Nandu Weekend" is the hard work of our group of people. Even if we are no longer in office, the newspaper is still there. This is our achievement and we should be proud of it for the rest of our lives."
Zuo Fang nodded heavily, "I understand. I will definitely cooperate with you to the best of my ability."
At this time, we must not let Zuo Fang give up.
Li Mengyu patted his shoulder and said patiently: "Don't have too much psychological pressure. After all, we are a major newspaper, and the higher-ups have to take into account the impact of public opinion. You have to take good care of the newspaper and put it in order in the next few days. I'm going to visit Mr. Lin and see if I can get him to say a few words for us."
Zuo Fang's face immediately showed surprise, "It would be great if Elder Lin could help."
"Don't be too optimistic. After all, Mr. Lin has already retired to the second line."
Mr. Lin used to be the top leader of the province and was also a journalist. Now he has retired to the second line.
"Oh! I really don't understand. Why did the situation turn out to be like this when it was obviously a good one?"
After comforting Zuo Fang, Li Mengyu himself was in a bad mood and said with some annoyance.
Zuo Fang looked at the white hair on his old leader's temples, feeling conflicted and hesitant to speak.
"Old leader..."
"What's wrong?" Li Mengyu was in a bad mood.
Zuo Fang hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and told Lin Weimin about the report from half a month ago and the phone call.
Li Mengyu listened for a long time, his brows furrowed and his expression serious.
After several questions in a row, Zuo Fang was evasive. Although he was still embellishing his answers, Li Mengyu could already imagine how Zuo Fang handled the matter at that time.
Li Mengyu's face turned pale and he asked, "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"
"I...I don't think it's a big deal..."
Zuo Fang made half of his defense dryly, but looking at Li Mengyu who seemed ready to bite someone, he did not dare to continue.
"What do you think? How dare you report on a bureau-level official and a world-famous writer like this? How dare you respond to a call from someone like this?
Zuo Fang, do you have any clear understanding of yourself? Who do you think you are? "
Li Mengyu's loud roar alarmed everyone in the editorial department. They all looked in the direction where the sound came from, wondering why their leader was so furious.
Li Mengyu stared at Zuo Fang with an angry face, forcing Zuo Fang to lower his head.
"You are so arrogant and conceited, you don't know how high the heaven is or how deep the earth is..."
After cursing for several minutes, Li Mengyu finally stopped, breathing heavily.
Zuo Fang finally dared to raise his head, pleading, "Old leader, please calm down first. I know this is all my fault. The most important thing now is to find out whether it was Lin Weimin who did it. If it was really him, we will have a strategy to deal with it."
Li Mengyu said coldly: "So what if he really did it? What strategy do you have to deal with it? If you are not upright, can you blame others for finding fault with you?"
Zuo Fang opened his mouth and stammered, speechless.
Looking at his former favorite general, Li Mengyu couldn't understand how he had become like this.
After thinking it over, he could only attribute the problem to the smooth sailing in recent years. The reason why "Nandu Weekend" has had such strong development in recent years is inseparable from the excellent content. Zuo Fang, as the editor-in-chief, has made an indelible contribution. This is also the reason why Li Mengyu and the leaders above value him.
And because of this trust, Li Mengyu also fully delegated power to allow Zuo Fang to show his talents.
But he didn't expect that Zuo Fang's character was a little bad after all, and he actually lost himself to the point of being arrogant.
If only I had discovered it sooner...
Li Mengyu stopped thinking, it was too late to say anything now.
However, now we have found the key to the problem. Whether it is true or not, this is always a direction.
Li Mengyu suppressed his anger. Anger and abuse were of no use. He had to find a way out of the situation.
The only solution now is to try every possible way.
(End of this chapter)
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