Unity & Media Award for Investigative Reporting—Lincoln
University
What
is Falun Gong and why
has it attracted over 100 million
practitioners worldwide?
Followers call it a spiritual practice. However, in October 2000, the Chinese government
branded the Falun Gong "counter-revolutionaries,"
bent on overthrowing the government and undermining
socialism. The crackdown has resulted in over 50,000
arrests, pervasive torture of incarcerated practitioners,
120 deaths, and the burning of 8 million books. What
is it that China's leaders fear?
"This
is a fascinating story that challenges all of us,
Americans and Chinese alike," says Emmy award-winning
producer Danny Schechter, "Horrible abuses against
people who have committed no crimes have occurred
with little condemnation, because money-not morality
defines US policy towards China."
On
his efforts to get Falun Gong's Challenge to China
on PBS, Schechter says, "I have been advised
by sympathetic
executives in public television not
to be too hopeful even though our (production) company
has produced human rights programming inthe past for
PBS and public television stations.
Schechter
concludes, "The documentary genres that PBS
now
considers priorities as listed on their website, are
not strong
on investigative or topical current affairs
programs like the ones we are keen to produce. We
are ready for PBS but when will PBS be ready for us?
