Quanzhou officials need to come clean about chemical leak

Editor's note: Four policemen of Quanzhou, Fujian province, conducting a "routine inspection" of a hotel in the city on the night of Nov 11, entered a room in which a female reporter of Caixin Weekly was staying. The reporter is investigating a recent pollution incident caused by a petrochemical corporation and claimed it was part of the local government's efforts to obstruct her probe. Columnist Cai Fei comments in a post published by one of People's Daily's WeChat platforms Xiakedao:

The police bureau of Quanzhou apologized for its "simple work method, improper law enforcement and negative social influence", and punished the relevant policemen on Nov 20. But that has not answered the question of whether the actions of the four policemen were associated with her investigation.

Her encounter with the police was not made public until the journalist told of her experience three days ago on the internet. But her account of what happened reinforced the belief that some people have that local officials still regard reporters as troublemakers and try their best to escape the media's scrutiny when something unpleasant happens.