City EthicsBreaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"
In China, Government Ethics Is the Most Important Topic
A
front page article in today's New York Times involves
allegations of self-censorship by Bloomberg News. But in addition,
it tells a very important story about government ethics.
The article says that the Chinese government has retaliated against news organizations, including the Times, for writing about one subject: the private wealth and interest of Chinese government officials. Violence against minority groups, the poisoning of exported food products, buying up large swathes of Africa, all sorts of horrible stories are allowed to be published by the foreign press without retaliation. But when it comes to what, in the U.S., high-level national officials would be required to be disclose to the public at large, this is where the Chinese government draws the line.
The next time someone says that government ethics is unimportant, tell them how China's leaders feel: nothing is more important.
The article says that the Chinese government has retaliated against news organizations, including the Times, for writing about one subject: the private wealth and interest of Chinese government officials. Violence against minority groups, the poisoning of exported food products, buying up large swathes of Africa, all sorts of horrible stories are allowed to be published by the foreign press without retaliation. But when it comes to what, in the U.S., high-level national officials would be required to be disclose to the public at large, this is where the Chinese government draws the line.
The next time someone says that government ethics is unimportant, tell them how China's leaders feel: nothing is more important.