Is Chinese Television News Imitating Art Imitating Life?
For the second time in a month, images of Chinese military maneuvers, which have been featured in news clips monitored by the state, have spread rapidly across Chinese websites and blogs.
China Central Television news (CCTV) is suspected of having substituted images of a report on its news broadcast (Xinwen lianbo) covering air force training exercises with fighter jet scenes from the Tom Cruise movie, Top Gun.
The reader will do well to remember that old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words. Consider these images below, which on the left feature screenshots of CCTV News and on the right screenshots from the movie.
The air force training exercise, which the newscast reported to have occurred on January 23, reveals a target struck by the air-to-air missile fired by a J-10 fighter aircraft and exploded. There’s no mistaking the similarity to the cinematic scene as depicted below.
Even the flame, smoke and the manner in which the splinters fly look the same. The Chinese Internet buzzed with sharp-eyed users, one of whom noted that the jet used in the broadcast hit was an F-5, which is an American fighter jet and an alien entity in Chinese air force training.
Pointing a finger of blame is difficult, as it is likely that the culprit was someone working alone, chuckling as he (or she) meshed reality and art into one giant embarrassing gaffe.
Users have basked in CCTV’s embarrassment as censors are very strict in China and this showdown opens a box that can never again be closed.
Et tu, Tom Cruise and…Chinese propaganda.
(Link)
By MDeeDubroff on 06-02-2011
