Sometime somewhere a conversation takes place:
Anonymous person: I haven’t seen any Uighur stories published recently, what’s happening?
Editor in chief: Sir, we cannot run the same story over and over. People figured out that they are not real and not newsworthy. It is kind of hurting our readership. Our peers have not been running them lately.
AP: I got something that is gold. A internal training document from Xingji, China.
EIC: Let me see it. Um... is it genuine? It doesn’t look like real government document, no seal mark or anything.
AP: My source said they retyped it.’, anyway it doesn’t matter.
EIC: It is in Chinese and I cannot read it.
AP: You must have someone who can read Chinese. Let them translate it.
EIC: Ok, I think Joe can. He is Chinese.
A moment later, Joe came into the office.
EIC: Joe, I want you to drop everything and have a look at this document. Can you translate it for me and tell me whether there’s anything newsworthy. Oh no it is ok. No NDA is required here.
Joe: um sir, I left China when I was 4 so my reading isn’t that good, but I can give it a go.
After sometime later:
Joe: I have read the first couple pages. Basically it is just a training document for government staff, it cannot see any issues or news here.
AP ( jump up): what do you mean there is no news. Just add some sentimental words, something like police/crackdown/suppress, tweak them in the English version, just make it a big news. No one can read Chinese like these alien Chinese, everyone is going to read English part that you are in full control.
EIC: People aren’t that easy to fool these days, they may use translation App and will tell that we have fudged the words. It is kind of making us look bad. We are a reputable paper in town.
AP: Most of people will only read the headlines and that’s all we need. No one is going to be bothered to verify them. Putting it on the front page, or I find someone else to do it.
EIC: No no, that is fine. I am onto it. Front page.