The Chinese government has one of the most extensive censorship programs in place which limit the ability to exercise freedom of speech. Recently, journalists working to cover the Coronavirus outbreak in the country have faced great challenges in releasing actual on-ground information to people around the world due to this extensive censorship. One knowledgeable reporter made use of the Ethereum blockchain in a unique way and uploaded her story on the programmable ledger.
Sara Zheng, a reporter working for South China Morning Post who recently interviewed a doctor working in the health department regarding the actual on-ground situation in the country was facing difficulties in releasing the report internationally. Dr Ai, the alias of the doctor working in Wuhan, the epicenter of the Coronavirus had some really potentially damaging insight into the situation and that is why, Zheng believed that it would never pass the censorships in place to stop reporting from the city directly. In fact, the article was blacklisted on WeChat, the Chinese alternative to Whatsapp that has over 1 billion users worldwide, mostly in mainland China.
The Forbidden Interview
The interview was done hurriedly and had QR and Morse codes as well as various errors and even emojis but the information coming from it was quite eye-opening for the rest of the world. Currently, the notion is that Chinese cases are dropping reverse exponentially with Wuhan only reporting a few cases in the last few days. Tens of thousands of people have been discharged from the hospitals according to government sources and the general outlook seems upbeat and it appears that the Chinese government has almost eradicated the virus.
According to the interview published by the journalist on Ethereum, early whistleblowers including doctors who tested the first Coronavirus cases faced extreme difficulties from the government. Dr. Ai said that he and his colleagues faced extreme backlash and brutal treatment from the authorities after they warned the government and other health professionals regarding the risk posed by the novel Coronavirus epidemic. His hospital also faced disciplinary action for raising the alarm as well and he and other doctors risked their careers for it.
The Chinese Response to the Virus
China, once the center of the now worldwide pandemic has reported over 90,000 cases as well as 4,000 deaths according to official counts. While the report doesn’t negate these figures, it is easy to see that the Chinese government initially sought to silence the whistleblowers who were pointing at a real problem. While the subsequent response is being praised by health professionals and epidemiology experts, it is also being pointed out that had Chinese authorities moved quickly to address the issue, it would have been contained within the city itself.
Blockchain- the Future of Journalism?
Blockchain technology has proven itself time and time again as the future of journalism without borders. All countries in the world have extensive censors in place in one form or another and they seek to suppress journalism activities to help prevent “chaos”. Journalists can eventually shift to blockchain-based solutions that operate beyond borders and help journalists to uncover and report the truth.