(TheRedWire.com) – In early November, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai accused former Chinese communist official Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. Almost immediately, Chinese officials censored media reports and as soon as the allegation surfaced on Chinese social media, communist officials removed any mention of the allegation from the platforms. Peng hasn’t been seen in public since. Chinese censors have made great efforts to block any mention of Peng’s assertion against Gaoli.
CNN shows 'live, real-time example' of Chinese censorship during report on tennis star Peng Shuai https://t.co/iSGglA1umX
— SpeedReads (@SpeedReads) November 22, 2021
On Monday, November 22, CNN discussed Peng’s situation on a morning show. During the segment, the network included a live feed from China in the corner of the screen. CNN Host John Berman explained viewers were looking at the live Chinese feed of the broadcast. The screen was blank except for some color bars. The host said the screen went to this format the second the network brought up the Peng story.
CNN Correspondent Will Ripley told Berman Chinese censorship is a regular occurrence. The correspondent added that the Chinese have an army of censors ready at a second’s notice to push a button whenever Peng’s story goes on air.
Over the weekend, the International Olympic Committee said it was in contact with Peng. Committee officials said they spoke with her for about 30 minutes. She allegedly told them she was doing fine, was at her home in Beijing, and asked the media to respect her privacy.
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