International News from EET

In this article on how the New York Times misrepresented the Splendor, famous Candian actor, stage veteran and film director Michael Mahonen dissects how the New York Times misinterpreted audience reaction and misrepresented Falun Gong.

As it turns out, the Times sent more than one reporter. While the author sat watching the show, apparently another reporter (perhaps more than one) was stationed in either the lobby or outside the theater, ready to chase down and question any patrons who might happen to leave the show early. As a professional actor who has worked in theater for the past 19 years, this is an unheard-of undertaking.

The Times article went on to claim, “At intermission, dozens of people, perhaps a few hundred, were leaving.” In response to this wild discrepancy in numbers, numerous Epoch Times reporters who were in attendance to record audience reactions commented that “a few hundred” was a gross exaggeration.

In another bizarre twist, the Times article attempted to draw a myopic comparison between this simple grassroots appeal by individuals gathered on the streets and the world-class artists in the grand, lush Splendor, which presented a wide array of acts drawn from China’s vast and profound culture.

The article went on to question why Falun Gong was not mentioned in the advertising for the show. To this, NTDTV spokesperson, Carrie Hung said, “There’s such a wide variety of China’s cultures presented on stage. The Falun Gong related content is a small portion of the show, so why would we single that out?

“The Times reporter seems to suggest the need to single out Falun Gong in the advertising as some kind of warning label. Many of our audience responses singled out the Falun Gong portions as their favorites. This unwarranted stigmatizing of a group is something we would view as prejudiced, discriminatory, and unethical.”