Special report: Tibet: Its Past and Present

    by Li Bo

    BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The biased coverage of the Lhasa riots and the Olympic torch relay by the U.S.-based Cable News Network (CNN) has given rise to a whole new usage of the network's name.

    "Don't be too CNN" is a phrase that is gaining increasing popularity on the Internet. A rap song titled "Don't be too CNN" has been improvised by a Chinese web singer and posted on the widely viewed video sharing website YouTube.

    In the wake of the March 14 Lhasa riots, CNN posted a picture on its website showing people running in front of a military truck. The original picture uploaded by Chinese netizens, however, also shows mobsters throwing stones at the truck. The latter had been cropped out of the photo by CNN.

    Again, during the broadcast of CNN's "The Situation Room" on April 9, when asked to comment on the U.S. relationship with China as the Olympic torch relay was underway in San Francisco, CNN news commentator Jack Cafferty said: "I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been in the past 50 years."

    He also said that the United States continues to import Chinese-made "junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food..."

    Chinese netizens were outraged by the insulting remarks made by Cafferty, who was born in 1942 and joined CNN's "The Situation Room" program in the summer of 2005.

    According to a New York Times report, Cafferty was convicted of reckless driving, assault and harassment in 2003 for hitting a bicyclist in New York with his Cadillac and leaving the scene. He was then sentenced to a 250-U.S.-dollar fine and 70 hours of community service.

    Chinese Americans and Chinese have launched an online campaign, demanding an apology from CNN and its "The Situation Room" program for insulting the Chinese.

    "We are truly stunned and shocked by a recent racist and hateful remark on the Chinese people by your news commentator JackCafferty," said a petition which has gathered 69,355 signatures since being posted online.

    "It's not common to witness such blatant discrimination against an ethnic group with such a derogatory connotation in an international TV program," said the petition, which has entered the Top 25 at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service.

    "We believe his remark clearly exposed his hatred and bigotry against Chinese people as a whole. Without doubt, many people, especially the Chinese people, feel hurt by this shameless assault."

    In a statement released Monday, Cafferty claimed his "goons and thugs" comment referred to "the Chinese government and not to Chinese people or Chinese-Americans."

    His employer responded Tuesday by saying "it was not Mr. Cafferty's nor CNN's intent to cause offense to the Chinese people, and would apologize to anyone who has interpreted the comments in this way."

    The TV network also claimed that it reports news "in an objective and balanced fashion," and also employs commentators "who provide robust opinions that generate debate."

    Cafferty's remarks have been uploaded on YouTube and the click rate is approaching 27,000. People from around the world have left comments condemning his remarks.