Pursuit of veracity deserves applause
During my interview with Adham Sayed, the words he used to describe some Western media reports about the situation in Wuhan impressed me the most.
“These reports were more like Hollywood fiction,” the Lebanese student said.
A longtime Twitter user myself, I have seen many of these Hollywood-style rumors, and some of them have been even worse than Tinseltown fiction. At least such fiction is logical, but these rumors are not.
After scientists confirmed that a new virus had emerged, a rumor began circulating about a possible leak from laboratories.
As the situation was gradually brought under control, rumormongers posted videos of bat soup online, claiming it had caused the new virus to spread from Wuhan. In our interview, Sayed referred to such videos, which often capture audience attention in the West.
Somebody once even posted on my Twitter account that Chinese people should stop eating bats.
I showed the person who posted the comment a video of bat soup being eaten in his own country, as well as a post from Sayed’s Facebook account, which stated that he had never seen any bats being cooked at restaurants in Wuhan. The troublemaker was silenced.
So, why do people believe in such ill-founded rumors?
The answer lies in a deep split between East and West. For decades, Western powers such as the United States have held an ideological bias against China and have demonized the country.
They continued to do so even after the Cold War. By being fed these rumors for so long, Western audiences have been misled, because these lies have been repeated many thousand times.
Any foreigner traveling to China can learn the truth. However, not everyone speaks out or is heard in their own country.
That is why Sayed’s efforts are especially important. He is brave in telling the truth, fighting rumors, and smart enough to make his voice heard worldwide.
I hope that more people will follow in his footsteps and that there is greater understanding between China and the rest of the world.