Chinese State Media Reporter Is Praised by Beijing for Pushing Its Coronavirus Propaganda

Medical staff members disinfect equipment at a ward used to be an isolation ward for patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan, China on March 12, 2020. STR/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese regime’s praise for a state media reporter’s propagandist coverage of the novel coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan has triggered public backlash.

Liao Jun, a reporter for Chinese state-run media Xinhua, published articles about authorities reprimanding eight whistleblowers in Wuhan who first alerted the public about the mysterious new outbreak on social media.