AFP is reporting that as of Saturday 1.19 million people, mostly inside China, had signed a petition at Sina.com condemning the Western media’s reports of recent unrest in and around Tibet:
The appeal repeats Chinese government statements in referring to “violent crimes of beating, smashing, looting and arson” in Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, last month.
“Western media organisations such as CNN and BBC have churned out untrue and distorted reports of the event. Please sign your name here to lodge your strong protest,” it says.
The Chinese government has in recent weeks organised for the state press to heavily criticise the Western media over its coverage of the unrest, while denying foreign reporters access to the protest areas.
