Misplaced Pages

Talk:New Tang Dynasty Television: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 14:42, 30 December 2010 editHomunculus (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers5,194 edits Recent edits: Re← Previous edit Revision as of 16:52, 30 December 2010 edit undoAsdfg12345 (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers6,640 edits Recent edits: Long explanation of editsNext edit →
Line 132: Line 132:


:::Ad hominem attacks on both sides are unnecessary. PCPP, the reason I acquiesced to these edits is because this is a television station, which produces diverse content in many languages, and yet the article is mired in debates over how much Falun Gong disclosure is necessary. It's silly. The article now clearly states that the station was founded by Falun Gong adherents. It is not necessary to try to further illustrate the connection by citing the WSJ's research on Rachlin. Moreover, the WSJ quote that NTD hides it affiliations is belied by the fact that the Falun Gong connection is openly stated on NTDTV's website. One prominent and clear mention is sufficient. I'm not optimistic that my explanation will be satisfactory to you, as I am apparently not the first to make these points. I hope you can trust, however, that most of the editors here are working in good faith. If your interest is in improving the article, I'll reiterate my suggestion that new sections be created describing the station's programming, market, non-Chinese languages, and cultural events. ] (]) 14:42, 30 December 2010 (UTC) :::Ad hominem attacks on both sides are unnecessary. PCPP, the reason I acquiesced to these edits is because this is a television station, which produces diverse content in many languages, and yet the article is mired in debates over how much Falun Gong disclosure is necessary. It's silly. The article now clearly states that the station was founded by Falun Gong adherents. It is not necessary to try to further illustrate the connection by citing the WSJ's research on Rachlin. Moreover, the WSJ quote that NTD hides it affiliations is belied by the fact that the Falun Gong connection is openly stated on NTDTV's website. One prominent and clear mention is sufficient. I'm not optimistic that my explanation will be satisfactory to you, as I am apparently not the first to make these points. I hope you can trust, however, that most of the editors here are working in good faith. If your interest is in improving the article, I'll reiterate my suggestion that new sections be created describing the station's programming, market, non-Chinese languages, and cultural events. ] (]) 14:42, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

I am here writing a point-by-point justification of Zujine's edits, why they are useful and better than other options. I submit this for discussion. To know what I am talking about (because it seems a bit out of the blue), you should open in another window, and compare the changes to the list below. I have basically gone through every change. I have made the changes outlined below, and thus ''explained every single change I have made.'' I did not revert nor will I edit war. But I made a series of careful, considered changes, and I have explained them and why they are better than the other option. I should think that if PCPP continues this aggressive conduct, he will soon find himself in big trouble. I am now leaving a note on his talk page warning him about edit warring. Action will be taken if he continues this. My greatest concern is that other editors--not stalwarts like myself--will be too inconvenienced by PCPP's high-pressure, aggressive style. It has happened before. I do not want to see the new editors be cowed, so I am making a careful attempt to justify the changes.

#and businessmen -- what's wrong with mentioning that?
#"FLG" is not a standard term, let's not use it; ''"support their views in regard to..."'' -- what's the source? This is biased language. It is to report on those subjects, at a minimum. If you have a high quality source which uses that language, we can add that as well as "report on"
#I moved the stuff about Zhao Ziyang and SARS to the paragraph underneath, where there is a bit more space to explain them. I do not mind where they go, but they should be presented properly, not in such a clipped manner.
#Left in the part about the "media empire"--this seems relevant to me. The Falun Gong connection is already made explicit, but including the "controversy", PCPP is clearly pursuing an agenda. Instead of providing neutral information, he wants to push this point and make a fuss of it. It is established previously, several times, that the station was founded by Falun Gong practitioners. But he puts in this paragraph to make it appear that it is some big secret that has been uncovered. This is dishonest and untruthful. They state their Falun Gong affiliations clearly on their website. There is no need to fake the idea that it's some secret that journalists uncovered, some big controversy, when it is a commonplace and well known fact that none deny.
#Now for the "Chinese New Year Spectacular": The text that PCPP seeks to include says that NTDTV ''"produces and televises"'' this event. This is simply not true. This event does not even exist anymore, so it is impossible for this to be in the present tense. Further, why should a few select critics be noted here, about an event that NTD ''used'' to produce? You can imagine me wanting to put in the phrase ''"Fans called it "the best show in the world," and "an amazing testament to beauty of Chinese culture, everyone should see it."'' -- can anyone even imagine that? Clearly it is sufficient to note the show was done by NTD and move on. What do other people think?
#''"NTD's anti-Communist Party stance and reportage on human rights issues in China has led to interference and political pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and its overseas embassies"'' -- One key difference in this version is that the "interference and political pressure" are not merely couched as accusations from NTD. ''They really exist'', and newspapers and scholars acknowledge this ''fact''. It is so stupid that we are even arguing on this. Zujine was right to make this change. It is not disputed that the CCP exerts political pressure and harasses Falun Gong-related performances and activities. These are things that independent groups have verified. Secondly, I deleted the line about the Embassy. Misplaced Pages is not a platform for the Communist Party's anti-Falun Gong propaganda. In the section on Falun Gong outside China, on that page, it would be relevant to state the Communist Party's propaganda, but when there is no space for analysis or explanation or independent views on just what they mean when they say those things, it is simply misleading and propagandistic to put that stuff here. The CCP ''is not a reliable source on Falun Gong or NTDTV'', furthermore, this is an article about NTD, and the CCP's views are not the focus. Take the counterfactual: let's go to the CCTV article and put the words of Li Hongzhi there. Would that make sense? That's the equivalent.
#''"An RSF employee had called the company's Beijing office posing as an official in the Central Propaganda Department, and had elicited an admission from Chinese Eutelsat staff that taking NTD off its satellite was politically motivated, according to an RSF transcript."'' -- really, I must ask what was wrong with this. It states more clearly what happened and still attributes it to an RSF transcript, not stating it as a fact.
#''"The statement accused Europe’s Eutelsat company of bowing to pressure..."'' -- I also preferred this in quotes, to get precisely what WSJ says. And I also think the line at the end of this paragraph is important. But I am not going to argue about everything. Just leave it as it is, if it makes PCPP happy.
#''"In June of 2010 the Canadian Prime Minister's Office..."'' -- likewise. I thought it clearer as it was, but I also think it is not worth arguing about everything. <font style="bold">]</font><font color="black" style="bold">]</font> 16:52, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

Revision as of 16:52, 30 December 2010

WikiProject iconChina Start‑class
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject China, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of China related articles on Misplaced Pages. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ChinaWikipedia:WikiProject ChinaTemplate:WikiProject ChinaChina-related
StartThis article has been rated as Start-class on Misplaced Pages's content assessment scale.
???This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale.
WikiProject iconReligion: Falun Gong Start‑class
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Religion, a project to improve Misplaced Pages's articles on Religion-related subjects. Please participate by editing the article, and help us assess and improve articles to good and 1.0 standards, or visit the wikiproject page for more details.ReligionWikipedia:WikiProject ReligionTemplate:WikiProject ReligionReligion
StartThis article has been rated as Start-class on Misplaced Pages's content assessment scale.
???This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale.
Taskforce icon
This article is within the scope of Falun Gong work group, a work group which is currently considered to be inactive.

Citation

"According to the LA Times, the news station promotes Falun Gong and receives large sums of donations from the organization each year. NTDTV has aired some of the most ridiculous events hosted by their supporters, especially when Li Hongzhi claimed that he could fly into the sky near his home in Chicago, Illinois. However, he did not succeed and blaimed the failure on the poor weather. (The Los Angeles Times, Mar.19,2004)"

I added "according to" a few days ago when I first saw this because I was rather incredulous. I also could not find this in the LA Times when I searched. I have several reasons for disbelieving the accuracy of this citation.

First, NTDTV may be run largely by practitioners, but Falun Gong and NTDTV are institutionally separate. Funding sources I know of for NTDTV are ads and its yearly gala. If any Falun Gong association really gave NTDTV money, I find it difficult to believe there was not a business reason for it, as practitioners also know the Epoch group media to be separate (financially and organizationally) from Falun Gong, and would know to treat them as such. This citation does not address any such reasoning, or explain alternate reasoning.
Second, Li Hongzhi lives in New York, not Chicago.
Third, according to the principles Li teaches, supernormal abilities are not to be displayed in public. In teaching Falun Dafa, I know of no exceptions made for his own except for a few conventions and fairs and such where he and some practitioners had a booth for qigong healing in order to promote Falun Dafa. Attempts like this one to displaying a supernormal ability make no sense.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.75.247.239 (talkcontribs) 21:30, 9 December 2006

AAP article

http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/3/28/83983.html --just keeping useful references.--Asdfg12345 19:41, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Warning to Asdfg to not undo other's edit

Asdfg, you have undone many of my edit, only to fail in defending your reason. If you unilatterally make undo/archive/move my edit without good reason, I will lodge a complaint agains you.

The edit I'm about to make in this page pertains to NTDTV's affaliation with Falun Gong. This fact is documented by the US Congress (ref: Thomas Lum's CRS report, page CRS-8.)

If you touch my edit I will file a complaint against you!!! Bobby fletcher (talk) 09:18, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I am really sorry to have caused you grief, I have only undone your edits when they violated wikipedia policies. What you did there is fine--that is a sourced statement. I am just against you breaking wikipedia policies, and spamming talk pages, but I think apart from that you are bringing a unique contribution to wikipedia, and I will not criticise you for that.--Asdfg12345 11:12, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Disputing Asdfg's baseless accusation of "breaking Misplaced Pages policies", "spamming talk pages"

I deny your accusations and demand you produce evidence to support your accusation. Bobby fletcher (talk) 19:15, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Suspect Bad Faith Editing, seeking RfC

Asdfg, why did you, once again, blank out the fact NTDTV is affiliated with Falun Gong. Now this article is, again like your other blaking, void of this fact. This is not the first time you have done this. If you don't like the wording there are better ways to fix it than blanking out relevant fact for the article.

Why are you, as a Falun Gong disciple, so ASHAMED of this fact??? Bobby fletcher (talk) 07:17, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

I didn't blank it. I moved it from the first sentence to a more appropriate place. I actually don't have a problem here. I just thought it looked clumsy the way it was, so I changed it. I thought saying it was founded by practitioners was sufficient to establish the link. I just incorporated both points in that sentence now to make it flow better.--Asdfg12345 20:27, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

Yes you did blank it out. Here's the proof:
http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=New_Tang_Dynasty_TV&diff=187836173&oldid=187181277
As you can see, after your blanking, the article is void of the fact. This is against WP:DE. Please stop Bobby fletcher (talk) 05:10, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Oh sorry, it was already there. My mistake. I did blank it from the top sentence. The idea was that it was mentioned already and it just looked odd to mention it three times. As I say, I am treating this as any other kind of editorial thing, I´m not concerned about the Falun Gong link. It´s like if I was editing an article on a soccer team, and it mentioned that the lead goalkicker in the team was Bobby Fletcher three times in the introduction. I would just make it mention it once, in context, like this time. Hope you know what I mean.--Asdfg12345 11:21, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

No, the diff link provided above show you blanked not only the first line, but also the sourced citation to Lum CRS report. Your other blanking have consistently demonstrated your WP:DE in trying to hide this fact in relevant articles. Why are you looking for a fight and attacking other editor? You have repeatedly blanked my edit and call me names like "nortorious", "callous". This is not what wikipedia is about.
I have so far edited in good faith, provided well researched neutural(non CCP) sources, stayed on-topic in Talk. Yet you accuse me of WP:DE? Please look at your own behavior as comparison.
Bobby fletcher (talk) 18:21, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. I will look within more. Now it mentions all the necessary information. I haven´t meant to do anything wrong and I don´t want to hide anything. I appreciate your correcting my mistakes and pointing out my shortcomings.--Asdfg12345 23:17, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

resources to add to page

this is an article about CCP interference: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/china-pressured-state-mps-to-skip-show/2008/03/30/1206850707183.html

Controversy vs. Opposition

Hello Kupredu, please don't delete sourced information as you did here . If you wish to let us know which part of the sourced information you disagree this is the place to do it. Thank you! --HappyInGeneral (talk) 22:22, 27 March 2009 (UTC)

Here are the objections that I have with your edit, also see references to Misplaced Pages policies. Hope this will help.
  1. You said that: “According to observers in China, ...“ but you gave the Chinese Embassy’s web site as a source. In this case this statement falls under the WP:WEASEL, it’s better to clarify the source which in this case is the Chinese Communist Party
  2. You said that: “... NTDTV spreads slanderous rumors against China and broadcasts anti-China programs such as the the so-called ...” but you did not provide any context, this is why I inserted the why is the Chinese Embassy saying that. See WP:NPOV. Also I think that you agree that NTDTV is critical toward the Chinese Communist Party and not toward the Chinese Citizens, and so saying that NTDTV is against China is a big distortion of the truth, it is more accurate to say that NTDTV is critical toward the ruling party.
  3. Your latest edit added this: “... and of insulting and distorting Chinese culture.”, who said that? If this is only your opinion then I would recommend reading the following Misplaced Pages policies WP:POV and WP:SOAP.
  4. So far you only reverted but did not engage in discussion. See WP:3RR. Please be advised that only reverting without discussion can get you banned.
I understand that you might not have lots of experience editing Misplaced Pages, this is why I would recommend checking out Misplaced Pages:Policies and guidelines which will help you understand what is Misplaced Pages and how you may become a valuable contributor to Misplaced Pages the 💕.

--HappyInGeneral (talk) 00:52, 28 March 2009 (UTC)

Balancing article.

I recently made this edit to balance out the article in accordance with WP:NPOV. Too many mainstream sources were not given due attention and the intro was more or less worded like an advertisement. If there are any issues arising from this edit I respectfully ask that it would be discussed here first. Colipon+(Talk) 06:33, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

I think some of the changes are improvements, while some of them aren't. I'll be back with more later.--Asdfg12345 15:40, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

I have serious doubts regarding this source

Hello, could you please point me on your source on this? I looked for the content and for the title but no real source came up. --HappyInGeneral (talk) 21:39, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

  • It happens from time to time that sources don't show up. This link shows at least that such a source exists, and it looks very much like the article I read. I seem to recall I didn't put the link into the ref because it was a third party link (thus not fully WP compliant) but I'm confident it wasn't a hoax, possibly CESNUR or Rickross, although I can't find it again right now. I've reinstated the text for the moment but with a {{verify source}} tag. I trust that at least takes care of your most immediate concern. There is no requirement anywhere that sources cited are online — Indeed, many sources are unavailable online. The only requirement is for the information to be verifiable. Another suggestion: go to a library and check out the microfilm. Ohconfucius 03:40, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Recent edits

Can PCPP please explain why Shen Yun deserves a section on this page? Seems absolutely bizarre. Olaf removed it, but PCPP put it back? Do not understand. Try discussing before pulling the trigger. --Asdfg12345 15:12, 20 December 2010 (UTC)

Simple. There is no consensus to remove the material on the page whatsever, especially since it's there from the beginning. The sources mentioned NTDTV and its links with airing of "Chinese New Year Spectacular", with particular incidences such as airing of the program in South Korea, and the Chinese embassy report which specifically mentioned NTDTV. Your edits seems like a knee-jerk attempt to revert everything I change, which is why you deliberately reverted to the Emikoking's vandalized version.--PCPP (talk) 18:23, 20 December 2010 (UTC)
And here are several Epoch Times articles that specifically mentioned the show was produced by NTDTV, with absolutely no mention of Shen Yun.--PCPP (talk) 18:41, 20 December 2010 (UTC)
Those reports are from 2007, so how are they relevant? It would probably be a good idea to mention that NTDTV used to host the Chinese New Year Spectacular, and I will amend the article to say that now. Please actually talk about why the material is relevant and requires a section, and how it is related to Shen Yun? It says CNYS, but links to Shen Yun? Isn't that a bit odd? I would indeed be interested to hear what other editors thought of all this. I am pretty confident that I'm not the one who is misbehaving. --Asdfg12345 00:49, 21 December 2010 (UTC)
Another thing is this paragraph: The Wall Street Journal reported in 2004 that the journal is registered as Universal Communications Network, which names top FLG spokesman Gail Rachlin as one of its three directors. It said "Where and are controversial is in their unwillingness to identify themselves as having any association with the group, despite ample evidence to the contrary." -- I would suggest this does not make much sense, given that on their website they state "In 2001, a group of professionals and businessmen connected through their common practice of Falun Gong conceived the idea of an independent Chinese TV network and took the lead". Interested in other editors thoughts on how it is now relevant? -- Asdfg12345 00:58, 21 December 2010 (UTC)
The articles on Chinese New Year, in particular the incident in South Korea, are relevant because NTDTV is mentioned directly as being involved, from both the Chinese embassy source and the Epoch Times. I have no idea why Shen Yun is added though. And the NTDTV page mentioned that the founders are ideologically linked to FLG, whereas in the WSJ article, the founders denied being a sub-organization of FLG, and insisted on their financial independence. That's quite a difference.--PCPP (talk) 11:04, 21 December 2010 (UTC)
The purpose is to show the relationship between FLG and NTDTV, is it not? Then let us just quote what NTD says on its website--no? I can see the sense in mentioning NTDTV and the Chinese new year thing, but it has nothing to do with Shen Yun, and doesn't need to be a whole section in the article. A few lines should be fine. Explain if you disagree. --Asdfg12345 18:18, 21 December 2010 (UTC)
  • Also, I have some questions regarding your recent edit. Allow me to enumerate them, and please be sure to give a sensible response to each point:
  1. Why did you remove the info about HR in the lede? Is that not relevant? You deleted that. Why?
  2. Why did you say that it is the "anti-CCP" stance that characterises the station, and not its emphasis on human rights? Do you think these are the same? Why would you change the wording like that? What source do you rely on for that change?
  3. Why did you change it from NTDTV used to host... to saying that they "produce and televise" the Chinese New Year show? The second is not true, and you know that. Furthermore, the link you gave is to Shen Yun, the NYT review. Why? And why is the Chinese Embassy quoted on that topic? Are they a reliable source on the show? Why should their view be registered on the NTD page?
  4. Why did you change the section to de-emphasise the Eutelsat issue? Why did you make it say "anti-CCP stance" again? Why did you word it like "which RSF used to claim" about the voice recording, as though that discredits it? Why not just state what RSF's claims were, rather than using such language to discredit them in the same breath?
  5. Why did you make those language changes in the paragraph beginning "On 20 August, 2008..." -- like remove "increasingly bogus", etc. Why? --Asdfg12345 18:32, 21 December 2010 (UTC)
    1. Why do you want to remove the WSJ article? The WSJ is a reliable source, and it demonstrated that NTDTV is financially registered to another organization, not FLG.
  1. Because directly calling it "pro-human rights" is a POV opinion, just as it is to call it an "anti-China propaganda station". It's well known for it's anti-CCP stance, so lets leave it at that. I've changed the phrasing so it reads that it focuses on issues such as human rights in China.
  2. You have no evidence that NTDTV "used" to host the Chinese New Year show. It still does - the Epoch Times articles mentioned that NTDTV is the producer of the show, and NTDTV's own website mentioned that they televise it as well.
  3. The Chinese Embassy source is directly attributed to them - there's no more reliable sources on the views of the Chinese government than that. It contrasts with NTDTV's accusations of interference.
  4. There is no need to dedicate three large paragraphs and a separate section to an old issue. The claims by RSF etc were never actually proven, and Eutelsat specifically denied the charges. Merging it with the paragraphs about Chinese interference in South Korea well illustrates the censorship issues that NTDTV faces. I've rephrased the RSF sentence nevertheless.--PCPP (talk) 02:32, 22 December 2010 (UTC)
  1. I do not want to remove the WSJ article, nor did I suggest doing that. I asked why the relationship to Falun Gong is not expressed simply and clearly using the NTD source. I will put that in now.
  2. How is it a point of view opinion to say that the station is "pro human rights"? Where did you get the source that it is "anti-CCP"?
  3. There is evidence all over the place that it used to host the show; the point is that the Chinese New Year Show is different to Shen Yun; as long as that is clear, I'm fine. Just don't link out, and just make the situation clear, rather than muddying it. Their broadcasting it is different from their hosting it, I'm sure you will agree.
  4. I asked you why the Chinese Embassy view is relevant, not whether it is reliable for its own views. My question is: why is the CCP's view a view that shoudl be stated on the matter? I'm removing it.
  5. This is fine; it is one incident of interference/censorship--fine to put it in a section that deals with the several incidences of censorship etc. --Asdfg12345 02:50, 22 December 2010 (UTC)
This is getting confusing, but I think we are making some progress (that is rare!), please answer me these questions three:
  • Why remove the "pro human rights" language--is this in dispute?
  • Why include the NYT ref when that talks of Shen Yun, which is different from Chinese New Year thing?
  • Why is the CCP a relevant source? Do you see Falun Gong spokespeople quoted when the CCP wheels out its propaganda troupes around the world? So why should CCP be quoted here? --Asdfg12345 03:33, 22 December 2010 (UTC)
  • Yes, "pro-human rights" is an opinion which the station uses to advertise itself. In contrast, it a factual statement that NTDTV is anti-CCP.
  • So are you saying Shen Yun's CNY show is completely different from NTDTV's?
  • The Chinese government is a notable source, whether you like it or not. The fact that Chinese embassy bothered to comment on NTDTV only showed NTDTV's notability.--PCPP (talk) 03:39, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Shen Yun doesn't have a Chinese New Year show. This is obviously ridiculous. You are not interested in discussion, because you are not responding to my arguments. You say pro-human rights is an opinion used as advertisement, but anti-CCP is a fact? Your last point makes the least sense of all, and in no way responds to the relevance of the CCP's views to the show--is the CCP an appraiser of Chinese dance? Is it a reliable source on Falun Gong topics? This is simply dumb. --Asdfg12345 03:44, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

NTDTV is noted for its anti-CCP stance, is this not a fact? And calling it "pro-human rights" is a misnomer and a POV statement, and by that logic we can also call the CCP "anti-human rights" - not even articles on HR organizations like Amnesty described them selvesas "pro-human rights". On the other hand, putting the statement in NPOV terms would be "NTDTV is noted for its coverage on human rights issues in China"

And your argument about the Chinese government piece is fallacious. You assumed that somehow the Chinese government and a TV station like NTDTV would be equal in its notability, but its not - a national government's views would hold much more weight and significance than a TV station. The PRC government is a involved party in the FLG dispute, and was accused by NTDTV of disrupting its shows, so its appropriate according to NPOV to address opposing views from the PRC government. You have a serious double standard here to think that a random media commentator that never read the Epoch Times before warrants inclusion, but the Chinese government, responsible for causing the mess by banning FLG, does not.--PCPP (talk) 09:46, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

For what it is worth, here is my input:
PCPP is right about the biased-sounding phrasing of "pro-human rights"; it should be properly said that "NTDTV is noted for its coverage..."
I agree with Asdfg on the irrelevance for quoting the CCP's views on the matter of the Tang Dynasty cultural show--loudly imposing anti-Falungong propaganda where it doesn't belong will be strange to readers and makes no sense. Where it is appropriate to state the Party Line, such as, in a section listing the Party Line, then that is sensible, but when all that is provided is a minor mention that there is such a show, to then add on a large dollop of the Communist Party view is, to me, very odd. Just mention that there is such a show. In the section about how the Party attempts to disrupt the show, then definitely their views shall be noted (and I notice that Asdfg did not do this in his otherwise good additions that were recently removed from the suppression page).
Finally, I am glad to see you both developing a common language. I will mostly stand by, but am happy to give my view where it may be useful.—Zujine|talk 01:00, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

I tried to broker a compromise on these, see how you find it. The Falun Gong link is now clearly stipulated; the irrelevant criticism of the New Year show (some of it referenced to what, Shen Yun?) removed. —Zujine|talk 05:23, 24 December 2010 (UTC)

PCPP, could you please explain yourself? I have been away for a few days. I have some more information to add to the page, and I believe the trend is against this sort of senseless and aggressive behaviour. —Zujine|talk 03:00, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

  • I have made a series of changes, all, I believe, very simple and reasonable. They include adding sourced information, and removing information that was repeated or irrelevant. If you would like to discuss the information that I removed, please do so here. I do not expect any edit warring or other ill behaviour. It seems that PCPP has edited this way for a long time, and because his aggression often gets his way, he has found it successful. But that really must stop. Discuss, do not revert, and present your case nicely and sensibly. —Zujine|talk 03:40, 30 December 2010 (UTC)
I added some quotation marks to the mention that NTDTV promotes peace and multiculturalism, or whatever it said. I'll take another look for other ways to improve the article, but Zujine, I agree with your edits for the most part—thanks for making the FLG connection clear, in particular. I also share the sentiment that the partisan bickering on these topics has gone on too long. It's especially out of place in this article. There is no denying that NTDTV began as and still is a media arm for Falun Gong members to offer a counterpoint to the official Chinese line, but certainly it's more than that. They offer pretty diverse programming, and in several languages. This article makes no mention of the English (or other non-Chinese) versions of the channel, does not describe its content offerings, its main markets, or any other information that would seem relevant. Moreover, while NTDTV may no longer put on a Chinese New Year show, they do produce other Chinese cultural events. I'm not in a position to write up this information, at least not for a while, but I would encourage others to add quality research on these subjects. Homunculus (duihua) 04:44, 30 December 2010 (UTC)
Let me just sum your view up to its simplest conclusion, for the benefit of smooth discussion here and in the interests of not letting PCPP get into trouble, and please tell me if I have misunderstood: there is a consensus that all my edits should not be deleted by PCPP as he did previously, that the way Falun Gong is now illustrated on the page is appropriate, and an improvement over what it was being reverted to, and that if PCPP did another blanket revert, he would be violating consensus and behaving unreasonably. Yes? Please clarify. Sorry to dull your sophistication down, but I'm learning that PCPP does not play softball. Thank you. —Zujine|talk 05:16, 30 December 2010 (UTC)
I am satisfied that your edits are an improvement. The article can be further improved, but I suggest that the path to a better article in this case is in the inclusion of good research and in our collective extrication from endless debates on FLG and edit warring. Homunculus (duihua) 05:31, 30 December 2010 (UTC)
I must contest Zujine's edits - he removed much sourced material critical of the station under the guise of "improvement", including sourced material from WSJ clarifying NTDTV's connections with FLG, , instead changed it to praise of the station using the same sourc He also removed material from the Chinese embassy - it is notable in presenting the PRC government's position on FLG media, especially considering its crackdown of FLG that caused the station's founding, and the allegations of censorship. This is not an improvement at all - he's up to his old tricks again.--PCPP (talk) 11:18, 30 December 2010 (UTC)
Ad hominem attacks on both sides are unnecessary. PCPP, the reason I acquiesced to these edits is because this is a television station, which produces diverse content in many languages, and yet the article is mired in debates over how much Falun Gong disclosure is necessary. It's silly. The article now clearly states that the station was founded by Falun Gong adherents. It is not necessary to try to further illustrate the connection by citing the WSJ's research on Rachlin. Moreover, the WSJ quote that NTD hides it affiliations is belied by the fact that the Falun Gong connection is openly stated on NTDTV's website. One prominent and clear mention is sufficient. I'm not optimistic that my explanation will be satisfactory to you, as I am apparently not the first to make these points. I hope you can trust, however, that most of the editors here are working in good faith. If your interest is in improving the article, I'll reiterate my suggestion that new sections be created describing the station's programming, market, non-Chinese languages, and cultural events. Homunculus (duihua) 14:42, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

I am here writing a point-by-point justification of Zujine's edits, why they are useful and better than other options. I submit this for discussion. To know what I am talking about (because it seems a bit out of the blue), you should open this diff in another window, and compare the changes to the list below. I have basically gone through every change. I have made the changes outlined below, and thus explained every single change I have made. I did not revert nor will I edit war. But I made a series of careful, considered changes, and I have explained them and why they are better than the other option. I should think that if PCPP continues this aggressive conduct, he will soon find himself in big trouble. I am now leaving a note on his talk page warning him about edit warring. Action will be taken if he continues this. My greatest concern is that other editors--not stalwarts like myself--will be too inconvenienced by PCPP's high-pressure, aggressive style. It has happened before. I do not want to see the new editors be cowed, so I am making a careful attempt to justify the changes.

  1. and businessmen -- what's wrong with mentioning that?
  2. "FLG" is not a standard term, let's not use it; "support their views in regard to..." -- what's the source? This is biased language. It is to report on those subjects, at a minimum. If you have a high quality source which uses that language, we can add that as well as "report on"
  3. I moved the stuff about Zhao Ziyang and SARS to the paragraph underneath, where there is a bit more space to explain them. I do not mind where they go, but they should be presented properly, not in such a clipped manner.
  4. Left in the part about the "media empire"--this seems relevant to me. The Falun Gong connection is already made explicit, but including the "controversy", PCPP is clearly pursuing an agenda. Instead of providing neutral information, he wants to push this point and make a fuss of it. It is established previously, several times, that the station was founded by Falun Gong practitioners. But he puts in this paragraph to make it appear that it is some big secret that has been uncovered. This is dishonest and untruthful. They state their Falun Gong affiliations clearly on their website. There is no need to fake the idea that it's some secret that journalists uncovered, some big controversy, when it is a commonplace and well known fact that none deny.
  5. Now for the "Chinese New Year Spectacular": The text that PCPP seeks to include says that NTDTV "produces and televises" this event. This is simply not true. This event does not even exist anymore, so it is impossible for this to be in the present tense. Further, why should a few select critics be noted here, about an event that NTD used to produce? You can imagine me wanting to put in the phrase "Fans called it "the best show in the world," and "an amazing testament to beauty of Chinese culture, everyone should see it." -- can anyone even imagine that? Clearly it is sufficient to note the show was done by NTD and move on. What do other people think?
  6. "NTD's anti-Communist Party stance and reportage on human rights issues in China has led to interference and political pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and its overseas embassies" -- One key difference in this version is that the "interference and political pressure" are not merely couched as accusations from NTD. They really exist, and newspapers and scholars acknowledge this fact. It is so stupid that we are even arguing on this. Zujine was right to make this change. It is not disputed that the CCP exerts political pressure and harasses Falun Gong-related performances and activities. These are things that independent groups have verified. Secondly, I deleted the line about the Embassy. Misplaced Pages is not a platform for the Communist Party's anti-Falun Gong propaganda. In the section on Falun Gong outside China, on that page, it would be relevant to state the Communist Party's propaganda, but when there is no space for analysis or explanation or independent views on just what they mean when they say those things, it is simply misleading and propagandistic to put that stuff here. The CCP is not a reliable source on Falun Gong or NTDTV, furthermore, this is an article about NTD, and the CCP's views are not the focus. Take the counterfactual: let's go to the CCTV article and put the words of Li Hongzhi there. Would that make sense? That's the equivalent.
  7. "An RSF employee had called the company's Beijing office posing as an official in the Central Propaganda Department, and had elicited an admission from Chinese Eutelsat staff that taking NTD off its satellite was politically motivated, according to an RSF transcript." -- really, I must ask what was wrong with this. It states more clearly what happened and still attributes it to an RSF transcript, not stating it as a fact.
  8. "The statement accused Europe’s Eutelsat company of bowing to pressure..." -- I also preferred this in quotes, to get precisely what WSJ says. And I also think the line at the end of this paragraph is important. But I am not going to argue about everything. Just leave it as it is, if it makes PCPP happy.
  9. "In June of 2010 the Canadian Prime Minister's Office..." -- likewise. I thought it clearer as it was, but I also think it is not worth arguing about everything. Asdfg12345 16:52, 30 December 2010 (UTC)
  1. Susan V. Lawrence (April 14, 2004). "Falun Gong Adds Media Weapons In Struggle With China's Rulers". Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition). p. B.2I.
Categories: