Opinion: The Assault on Journalist in Bijie: More Than a Simple Case of ‘Physical Harm’

News of a journalist being assaulted by local police officers in the city of Bijie in southwestern China’s Guizhou province went viral and set off a public outcry as an example of obstruction of legal press oversight.

News circulated online May 30 that a reporter from China’s Jimu News was assaulted and injured by three unidentified assailants while reporting on a deadly incident in Bijie. The assailants turned out to be local police officers, according to a report released Thursday by local authorities.