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Right. Has anyone here done a reasonable background check on the author, Desmond Shum, to verify this is not just a PR stunt? It is perfectly plausible that eve
by laserbeam 5y ago
Right. Has anyone here done a reasonable background check on the author, Desmond Shum, to verify this is not just a PR stunt? It is perfectly plausible that everything in the article is true... But if the kidnapping isn't real then I wouldn't trust the book either.
After a quick search I've only found some of the author's history in finance and which suggests he has the background to write this book. If the kidnapping is indeed real, then the book becomes an interesting read indeed.
- laserbeam 5y agoWell, the disappearance seems legit... https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/world/asia/china-whitney-duan-weihong.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/world/asia/china-whitney-...
- gorgoiler 5y agoIt’s NPR.
- laserbeam 5y agoI am not from a country who has npr, and i know little about its reputation. It looks like an article which could be mistaken as a pr stunt.
- CyanBird 5y agoWeren't they in favor of the Iraq war? This is a legitimate question, I don't know about their reporting from back then And from an external perspective, why would they be a more reliable source than let's say Voice Of America or Radio Free Asia, both of which ofc are "offensive" (as in vanguard/aggressive/warfaring) media outlets
- mrtranscendence 5y agoI don't recall what kind of coverage NPR had over the Iraq war; maybe it was generally favorable. But it would surprise me if the station were "in favor of" it full stop. It's certainly possible to find critical pieces from the era by googling. > why would they be a more reliable source than let's say Voice Of America or Radio Free Asia Voice of America and Radio Free Asia are governmental agencies; NPR is a private non-profit organization funded by advertising, donations, grants, etc (but not directly by the federal government).
- npresponse 5y agoI _think_ this is a sincere comment speaking to the credibility of npr, so on that basis: I love npr, big fan... but they're just as fallible as other news organisations (or indeed, all organisations). They can be trustworthy, operate in good faith and make mistakes by failing to vet something to the extent required, they're not mutually exclusive. https://www.npr.org/corrections/ https://www.npr.org/corrections/