The latest headline to pop up in my Google page was a cute little article written in special English by the good people over at Xinhua.

The article, titled “Biased Xinjiang riot coverage refuted” takes issue with the Western media’s reporting on the riots that are erupting between Han and Uighurs in NW China.

In particular, Xinhua takes issue with a photo that appeared on the London Evening Standard, and a Washington Post and Wall Street Journal story about the riots.

Just some snippets for your enjoyment:

On July 8, the (London Evening Standard) website removed the picture and caption at its readers’ protest, but a story headlined “The women invoking Tiananmen’s spirit” continued to describe the Xinjiang riot as “the crackdown on members of the Muslim minority by Chinese authorities”.

“If such bias angered me, then a Washington Post story published on July 10 about ‘the right way to help the Uygurs’ simply left me in hallucination, as if Xinjiang were somewhere in the States,” he said, pointing to the author’s bossy comments on the U.S. government’s Xinjiang policy and call for stronger support for Rebiya Kadeer and her World Uygur Congress, which the Chinese believe were behind the Xinjiang riot and a series of protests at Chinese embassies worldwide.

And here, note the use of the word “desperado” – a word I’ve only uttered in kareoke sessions:

The Beijing Daily published a bylined article Sunday that questioned some Western media’s “double standards” in the Xinjiang riot coverage.

“Some Western reporters described the apparently criminal act as ‘peaceful protest’ sparked by ‘ethnic discrimination’”, wrote the author Qin Feng.

He said these reporters ignored the plain facts, took sides with the desperados and even helped justify their criminal acts….

And finally, a look an opinion piece apparently circulating around the Internet calling for a boycott of the Wall Street Journal. The author compares the Uighur uprising to the 9/11 terror attacks on New York:

“The Journal’s editors may as well defend themselves, saying this is balanced and fair journalism, but would it have been balanced and fair for them, had any Chinese media commented on the Sept. 11 terrorist attack against New York and Washington in 2001, saying “New York Revenge — Muslim minorities fight U.S. hegemonism?

Read the rest here: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/13/content_11700955.htm