The Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka has criticised the Western media giants like Reuters and CNN for using ‘ugly’ images of Chinese sportspersons at the Tokyo Olympics, and posting “anti-China” in headlines in their presented reports.

Contents hide
1. The Tweet by the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka
2. About Weightlifter Hou, who Bagged a Gold for China
3. Post by Reuters
4. Netizens on Twitter Back-up for Reuters
5. Embassy Claims that Western Media is Biased
6. Embassy takes a toll on CNN’s ‘anti-China’ headline
7. What CNN Actually meant
8. Netizens Clap Back At the Embassy

The Tweet by the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka

The Embassy’s official handle tweeted on Saturday that, “Among all the photos of the game, @Reuters has chosen this one, which only shows how ugly they are. Don’t put politics and ideologies above sports, and call yourself an unbiased media organization, shameless. Respect the spirit of #Olympics.”

Check the tweet here

About Weightlifter Hou, who Bagged a Gold for China

China’s Zhihui Hou won a gold medal in the women’s 49-kg weightlifting competition. Hou set Olympic records in three different categories, they are- snatch, clean and jerk, and in all during her hardware-earning performance at the games. She broke her own world record.

Post by Reuters

The tweet was in reference to a report by Reuters of China’s Zhihui Hou winning the gold medal in the women’s 49-kg weightlifting competition. The photo was attached the report shows the athlete in the moment of her lifting a barbell, her face scrunched up from the effort from pulling the weight.

Check the post by Reuters here

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Netizens on Twitter Back-up for Reuters

Twitter users were quick to back-up for the media giant comment that there may be different interpretations of what may qualify as “ugly” or unflattering in moments of sport.

Check one of the posts in this context here

Embassy Claims that Western Media is Biased

In the next few tweets, the embassy had posted four screenshots of different Reuters reports of the Olympics from the same day, to show a contrast in the choice of images.

The embassy posted on Sunday that, “Same day, same Olympics, same Reuters, different faces, maybe it’s because everything good in life comes easier for the white westerners?”

Check the tweet here

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Embassy takes a toll on CNN’s ‘anti-China’ headline

In separate tweet posted on 24 July, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka also criticised American broadcaster CNN for publishing an “anti-China” headline.

It said that, “Anyone who still consider the embassy over-reacting on western MSM reporting against China and believe them unbiased, non-political & independent, please see today’s best (so far) anti-China/humanity/#Olympics headline presented by CNN from #Tokyo. Sorry for their poor people.”

Check the tweet which spread the wildfire, here

What CNN Actually meant

The embassy was referring to CNN‘s coverage of the first gold medal of the Olympics, which was claimed by Chinese shooter Yang Qian, which was posted with a headline that stated that, ‘The first day of the 2020 Olympics begins with gold for China and more Covid-19 cases’.

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Netizens Clap Back At the Embassy

Social media users clapped back, terming the embassy’s statement “propaganda” while others wondered if the screenshot posted by the handle had been edited.

Check some tweets in this context