A few days ago, just as Xiao He was engrossed in "handmade modifications," a news article suddenly appeared and was disseminated by major news media outlets—
Rongding Media's Black Market Activities Exposed
Rongding Media: A Hell on Earth
[Shocking! A media company has become a "dark prison"]
[Shocking! The Dark Web Behind the Glamour of Internet Celebrities]
[The Madness Driven by Huge Profits! Media Companies Cross Over into Black Market Activities: How Can the Rules for the Future Development of the Internet Industry Be Improved?]
In the video, the female anchor narrating the news had a solemn makeup and a serious expression. The blue and white text at the bottom of the screen was even more glaring than the red and black text. The scrolling subtitles at the very bottom rapidly displayed on-site reports that couldn't be captured in the news footage. The words pieced together were shocking.
"After multiple investigations and verifications by reporters, it was found that the media company involved used 'star-making and signing' as a guise to build a complete black industry chain covering 'performance exploitation, beauty loan harvesting, sex trafficking, and obscene live streaming'..."
"The company not only takes a 90% cut, but also frequently threatens its artists with phrases like 'millions in compensation for breach of contract' to force them to participate in various parties and events and introduce paid sex transactions... Another streamer revealed that the company also built an encrypted live streaming platform to attract female streamers to perform vulgar and pornographic acts, and to attract fans to transfer money and send gifts across platforms..."
"The company's office has been sealed off, and five key personnel have been placed under criminal coercive measures. Police said they have obtained a number of pieces of evidence of the company's illegal and criminal activities and are focusing on investigating the company's core management personnel and related personnel in the upstream and downstream sectors. They also called on more victims to report the case and cooperate with the investigation."
"This incident exposed regulatory loopholes in some areas of the influencer industry. Multiple departments, including the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Public Security, have jointly launched a special campaign to rectify the industry… Be wary of online recruitment information promising 'low barriers to entry and high income.' Before signing a contract, verify the company's qualifications and refuse to sign unequal contracts. If you encounter any infringement or illegal activities, report it to the police immediately…"
When this news was seen, major short video platforms were in an uproar.
Many people had already identified the companies involved in the news based on the mosaic images, and then logged into short video platforms to check the influencer accounts on these platforms one by one. They were shocked to find that these accounts had been banned for a long time, and the unbanning time was uncertain.
In other words, it is true that some celebrities, as reported in the news, are both victims and perpetrators!
Many people gasped in shock.
[My goodness, Guoguo, such a big influencer, was banned just like that! He was one of the earliest streamers to reach tens of millions of followers, right?]
[Are you kidding me? This is such a serious matter that even before the higher-ups have intervened, the platform is already rushing to sacrifice itself to save the company. Do you think this is a joke?]
So, did Guoguo and the others participate too?
[I think it should be? I recommend everyone check out this official news account. The news content there is more detailed, and there are even undercover videos. This reporter is incredibly capable; he's the one who exposed many things before. There are also many victim testimonies; reading them really sends chills down your spine.]
[Holy crap! It's that same reporter who exposed the fake drug sales! I remember after that last news story, the authorities immediately started cracking down on the pharmaceutical industry. Now they've exposed the chaos in the influencer industry. I have a feeling this time the storm is blowing over the influencer circle.]
[It seems like they've already blown it up! Didn't you see the news report mentioning a special rectification campaign has been launched? I think this time they're really serious.]
[After reading this, I'm really a bit scared. Rongding is a huge company in China, having incubated many internet celebrities with tens of millions of followers. Some of them even earn more money than celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry. I used to think about joining this company and giving it a try, but... I never expected this outcome.]
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