Continuing my theme on fakes

So today I read an interesting article in both the SCMP and the Guardian in which it turns out that the Chinese media has decided to fake stories on fake events.

Confused? Well you should be. Welcome to China and reality (or is it...)

As I have commented earlier on this blog creating and selling fakes in China is big business. Now of course the government is trying to crack down on this trade but like say drugs or prostitution the demand is there and so you are never going to be able to wipe it out.

But this whole story about fakes and sub-standard goods has taken a new twist. A journalist has apparently faked a story on a Chinese bakery making fake buns with cardboard. Now buns are a big business in China and this caused headlines all over the world. The key question being raised is whether the journalist actually made the story up or whether the government has actually arrested him to keep the story quiet and make it seem like a faked fake story.

Normally I would not advocate the "mad alien/JFK/Elvis" did it story but in the case of the Chinese government and produce I can actually believe that they had something to do with it. The reason, simple: Money and prestige.

China has recently had many scare stories over the quality of its goods around the world. This has affected exports at a time when the US is becoming more protectionist than ever of its IP and industry. Europe has been slow to catch up, but with socialist French and German governments looking over their shoulders I don't think they will take too long to catch up with their transatlantic cousins.

Could it be that the Chinese government arrested this journalist to shut him up and disprove his story? It is I am afraid to say more than likely that this is possible.

And for that to even be a possibility means that there is more to this story than we are hearing.