CNN laid an egg on preserved eggs

　　(english.cnhubei.com) The American Cable News Network (CNN), marking itself as being comprehensive, objective and fair, has stirred internet buzz in China again.

　　The time, it is about the traditional Chinese food, preserved eggs, or in CNN's words, century eggs.

　　In an article published on June 28, CNN named preserved eggs as the first of top ten most 'revolting' food. "It is awful -- it tastes like the devil cooked eggs for me," said CNN's iReporter Holwerda. "It tastes like something that used to be an egg, but made some really horrible choices."

　　His comments triggered strong protests among Chinese around the world as well as people from Japan and Southeast Asia. China's largest eggs production company, Hubei Shendan on July 4 published a statement demanding CNN to make an apology. "CNN' comments offend the Chinese food traditions and culture", Shendan said in the statement.

　　Andrew Demaria, CNNGo's editor-in-chief, later posted a statement on CNN’s website saying, "We apologize unreservedly for any offense the article has inadvertently caused."

　　The remarks only show CNN's rudeness, arrogance, ignorance, and its so called equality, freedom, fairness and objectivity are cropped again.

　　Preserved eggs have a long history in China's food culture. Chinese snacks as minced pork congee with preserved egg and tofu with preserved eggs are world famous. They are now produced in modern industrial assembly lines to ensure their delicacy and safety. Shendan has signed cooperation agreements with top three global retailers - Walmart, Carrefour, Metro to bring preserved eggs world available while KFC and McDonalds start to sell preserved congee long ago.

　　Open minded as they are, Chinese internet users, made no objection to that while US, known for its tolerance and multi-culture, makes such irresponsible remarks on other's food culture.

　　In 2008, in covering the riot in Lhasa, Tibet, some of the western media organizations distorted the facts with untrue reports about the riots. CNN.com used a cropped photo of Chinese military trucks, cutting off the half of the picture showing a crowd of rioters throwing rocks at the trucks.

　　And later that same year, CNN's commentator Jack Cafferty moaned in a TV program: "The Chinese are basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they have been in the past 50 years" and "Chinese-made goods are junk". People around the world, including U.S. citizens, are stunned and shocked. As a result of complaints from Chinese government, CNN President Jim Walton has apologized for the insulting remarks.

　　With repeated distorted reports and insincere apologies, it is reasonable to doubt that the food selection was not just a case of tongue-in-cheek report. It reveals CNN's stand of judging China Chinese people through tainted glasses.

　　US, known by its "melting-pot" culture, has attracted people of all colors and nationalities to emigrate to build a strong country.

　　As one of the world most famous media organizations, CNN understands its influence of its published reports. Biased reportage and slandering are acts that seriously violate professional ethics of journalism. A country's culture and civilization are denied and trampled upon by CNN's insulting remarks.

　　Objectively speaking, KFC and McDonalds, originated in US, provide typical junk food with high calories and high fat which CNN never mentioned. This reveals CNN's US interests orientation policy. US. As the key super power in the world, exports products as well as its culture and soft power. CNN, a US media organization, spreads US culture, including food culture and it judges other' culture and goods by its own taste. As long as it is not CNN's cup of tea, it is disgusting and awful.

　　In this sense, the dispute of preserved eggs is the contest of soft power between countries rather than media's right of speaking.

　　Some internet users may say that CNN’s comments on preserved eggs were probably a tongue-in-cheek report and it is unnecessary to take it seriously. But the competitions between countries nowadays focus more on soft power, not just military or diplomacy.

　　Dignity as well rights are never granted to any one or any country. Besides condemning CNN, we have a long way to go and a lot to do.