The LongBow Papers

Liberal-oriented columns, commentary and archived articles on national and international news, politics, and the communication arts--with emphasis on China--by Joseph Bosco, author, journalist, director and actor; Professor of Drama and Communications at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Bosco on the Road (making a movie)

1:04 PM

Joseph Bosco has been extraordinarily busy winding up the end-term tasks and activities at the university and acting in a significant Chinese movie with a heavy shooting schedule. He's now on location for about a week and may or may not have computer access while he's on the road. That's why posting has been light lately and may not be possible while he's away. He hasn't forgotten Longbow Papers and has lots to report when he's back in the saddle again. So stay tuned.

Posted by Ellen

1:04 PM / Editor / permalink 0 comments

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Working The Murder Beat Again...

7:12 PM

See The Picture Above? The Thug On the Right (Neshoba County Sheriff, Lawrence Rainey) Was an Honored Guest Speaker at My High School While He Was Under Federal Indictment in the Mississippi Burning Murders.

Justice delayed is justice denied, according to William Ewart Gladstone (1809 - 1898). But sometimes that's the only shot we get. That is what is going on in the trial of Edgar Ray Killen for the murders of the civil rights workers Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman four decades ago.

As most of you know, I've mostly made my living over the last couple of decades working the crime beat in America, specifically murder: the baseball bat murders in New Orleans, the Simpson murders in Los Angeles, the Ennis Cosby murder, also in L.A., the Kimes "mother and son grifter team" murders in New York and Los Angeles, etc., plus all of the little trials that no publishers wanted but were somewhat better served because a journalist the court recognized was sitting in the usually almost empty gallery as Larry Longo (for example) made a fool of some sic 'em prosecutor who really didn't know his case.

But I stopped covering murder not long before I came to China. And I have not regretted it. Till now.

I would very much like to be in Mississippi at this moment covering the trial of Edgar Ray Killen all these decades after the murders of the civil rights workers Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman. But I cannot.

Also, at this moment, I cannot write about it--tell a personal tale of connection--because since I somehow got involved in acting in movies in Beijing my discretionary time has been limited at best.

But I wanted to introduce you to a site where you can refresh your memories if you're my age, or catch up on recent history if you're a generation or two younger. Please click on the link below, and remember...or learn.

The Mississippi Burning Trial

More on this soon.

7:12 PM / Editor / permalink 1 comments

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Blogging in China on "Dialogue"

6:10 PM

I am delighted to announce that WOW will be featured on a "Dialogue" segment about Blogging in China tomorrow, June 10th. "Dialogue," CCTV International's most popular program worldwide, airs 4 times a day: 7:30 A.M., 1:30 P.M., 7:30 P.M., and then again at 1:30 A.M. Of course, program scheduling is subject to last minute change for any number of reasons, usually breaking world news.

I apologize for the short notice; the episode was in development for some time and only very recently given an airdate. Most of the show was taped many weeks ago, about an hour of discussion on Blogging in China between me, an executive from BlogChina and Fei Fei, one of CCTV Channel 9's most beloved personalities. Roger Ren, a caring, meticulous, talented young producer then put a lot of work into postproduction.

Yesterday, he and his crew came to BFSU to shoot the students working on WOW in class, and interviewed two of WOW's main editors. He will work a little digital magic back at CCTV, mixing a dollop of B-roll here, a dollop of sound bite there, and a chunk of a couple or three talking heads--one of them very old and crusty--dropped in generously to fill.

We hope you can catch it, and perhaps enjoy it. At least my detractors get another shot at cursing this face wherever they are. CTTV International is beamed all over the world. Its audience numbers are truly astronomical.

6:10 PM / Editor / permalink 6 comments

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Rise of Rights Is Must Reading

6:08 PM

Sophie Beach of China Digital Times has written an absolutely must read article for Dangerous Assignment, published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (of which I am a humble but proud member).

The title of the article is Rise of Rights, and its about two of the basic elements necessary for governance by consent of the governed, the practice of the rule of law, not its enshrined codification, and at the very least a press free enough to report to the governed what the law is and how to use it. It really is that stupifyingly simple; and it really is that impossibly complicated.

If you have any interest in the future of China--which is to say your own backyard, wherever on this spinning rock that might be--you have to read this article. [Note: I'm a few days late on this one, so if you know all about it, please accept my apologies and go on about what you're doing and thank you.]

The full article is at:

China Digital Times

And

Committee to Protect Journalists

6:08 PM / Editor / permalink 0 comments

Thursday, June 02, 2005

That Bad Moon Rising Over Chinese Journalism Gets Darker Still...

3:25 PM

It's been a bad week for Chinese journalism. No sooner do we start processing yesterday's news of the arrest of Hong Kong-based journalist Ching Cheong, than we learn that the Beijing Public Security Bureau has hung the additional, quite ambiguous, charge of "Fraud" on Zhao Yan, the Chinese journalist who was working as a researcher for The New York Times when he was first "detained" last September and "arrested" last October and held incommunicado since the former. It would be surprising if he even knows he has a defense attorney, one Mr. Mo Shaoping. After all, attorney Mo has yet to lay eyes on his client.

And to top it off? Today we also learned, via Reuters, that two sociologists at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have also been "detained on suspicion of leaking state secrets." Criminy, that's perhaps China's most prestigious, official and oldest "think tanks."

Important information on these matters can be found at the links below: