Anti's Last Postings on MSN Spaces

The following postings by Zhao Jing on Dec. 29-30, 2005, led the Chinese government to order Microsoft to remove "Anti's Blog."

The Beijing News is about to fall into enemy hands. The Guangming Daily wants to completely take control.

Dec. 29

The latest news is: The Guangming Daily leadership held an afternoon meeting at the Beijing News. By evening, they still did not dare announce the order to dismiss Yang and the others. Tomorrow, nothing is happening for now. But at any time, the order could come down in any fashion. We look forward to a good outcome in the struggle of Yang Bin and the Beijing News. The achievements of the Beijing News are obvious to all. If the Guangming Daily is allowed in the name of politics to come down from the mountain and pick peaches by taking control of the Beijing News, then I will definitely cancel my subscription to that new Guangming newspaper.

There's been too much bad news this winter. We are waiting together here with our colleagues at the Beijing News.

For we readers who can't stand being insulted, the only course of action is to immediately call and cancel our subscriptions

Dec. 29

Today is Dec. 29, and 2006 is still two days away. But we have already subscribed to the Beijing News for all of 2006. Before we could even enjoy this product, it was secretly substituted for another. That constantly babbling Guangming Daily has taken control of the newspaper that we have subscribed to and paid for with our own salaries. Honestly, I would rather eat excrement than subscribe to the Guangming Daily and some mutation of it.

This team of Guangming peach-pluckers of course doesn't care about us readers. They just think of us as abjectly obedient citizens and expect us to accept whatever excrement they issue. Unfortunately for them, we're not that lowly. I invite all of you readers who still consider yourselves human and not dung beetles to call the Beijing News with me at 63190000, and demand they immediately and unconditionally refund our year's subscription fee.

...

We are not pigs. We cannot let ourselves be trampled on. We cannot be so easily cheated of our money. Yes, it is just 300 yuan, but what we want is full service and commitment. We must bravely and, as etiquette requires, say no to any untrustworthy behavior.

Moreover, we appeal to our lawyer friends, please help these victims. After they refuse to refund the money, file a class-action lawsuit against the Guangming Daily for compensation. For this fraudulent behavior, they must not only pay compensation, they must pay compensation several times over.

All readers unwilling to be played, duped or insulted, I hope you will copy and post this statement elsewhere, let more people call 63190000 for their own good.

This is not for a big thing, it's not even for the Beijing News. It is only to prove we are not pig's heads willing to be trampled upon. If the Guangming people want to play politics or power games, go play. We don't care. We just care that we don't want subscribe to some lousy Guangming Daily for all of 2006.

This is a market society, and guarding our own wallets is a natural right protected by the constitution.

Please copy and post elsewhere. Please call 63190000.

Paying tribute to idealists and showing tolerance those who choose to be pragmatic

Dec. 30

Today, the 116th edition of Beijing News was published as normal. Journalism is not merely an ideal. It is also a practical job. I am not qualified to criticize any ordinary journalists and editors who choose to be pragmatic, but I can at least express my highest respect for those journalists who choose to follow the ideals of journalism.

I feel that this issue of the Beijing News is especially worth collecting. One can see in it the traces of a major event in journalistic history. This issue of the newspaper will be used as teaching material in the future annals of freedom of the press in China, and at that time, China's most outstanding journalism students will have to review this edition.

Today, we are at the very least able to appreciate an expression of idealism: intelligence. Look on the weather page, page A32, at a photograph that expresses the feelings of the city. 106 Yongan Road is the address of the Beijing News. Time: Yesterday, Dec. 29. Event: A head bird leads a flock in their flight across the skies. Although the sky is not sunny, the birds still carry a goal in their hearts as they fly toward a distant place.

I have a few words for my friends who choose the pragmatic path. No one is criticizing you. It's just that we are journalists, and as journalists, our supreme mission is to listen attentively and record the pulse of history. Our esteemed elders at the Beijing News would have died for these ideals. You chose pragmatism, but you wronged history.

Every man writes his own history. Many years later, some people can proudly say, "On that day, I did not surrender." Others can only again and again avoid saying they were also at the scene.

There are lot of opportunities to work, but historical junctures come only once in many years. Idealists must take a long journey, and they will one day receive a welcome on the road they travel. You people who choose to be pragmatic, take good care, the road is also long. In this journalistic profession of ours, one's honor is more important than one's job.