Two weeks ago, after the assassination of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara, a Chinese journalist reporting on the issue received online backlash for crying during a live broadcast covering the news.
As the clip went viral, many commenters criticized the reporter for being unprofessional and unpatriotic, and for not considering the stance of Chinese people regarding Abe’s controversial political legacy. Some Weibo users made very hateful comments, writing things such as: “If you grieve his death so much, why don’t you go join him?”
This is the moment a Chinese reporter is fighting to hold back tears during a live broadcast covering the death of Japan’s former PM Shinzo Abe.
This moment and the reporter in question became a much-discussed topic today on Weibo, where she’s accused of being unpatriotic. pic.twitter.com/qTx7Q4YdKu
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) July 8, 2022
Zeng Ying, who is a Japan-based reporter for the Chinese media outlet The Paper, later wrote a post on her Weibo account in which she apologized for her ‘lack of professionalism and for putting her “personal feelings on display on this public platform.” A complete translation of her post can be found here.
On July 20, Zeng became a trending topic on Weibo once again after news came out that the reporter had allegedly attempted to commit suicide. One day earlier, Zeng Ying had posted a message on Chinese social media in which she announced that she suffered from depression and “decided to leave” and wanted to “say goodbye.”
Farewell post by Zeng Ying.
In the WeChat Moments post, the 32-year-old Zeng said that her depression made daily work and life impossible for her since early July. She also expressed concern over the future of a clothing brand she manages and the people working for the company.
Zeng Ying is not an official reporter for The Paper; she describes herself as a Japan-based Chinese entrepreneur and ‘self-media’ (自媒体) account. In 2019, she made it to the Forbes China ’30 under 30′ list for her role as the CEO of Tokyo-based Chinese marketing company DDBK (同道文化).
After Zeng’s alarming WeChat post, a befriended verified (‘big V’) Weibo blogger publicly shared her concerns over Zeng, saying she could not reach her and had already contacted Japanese police after seeing the post. She wrote she was scared and panicked because Zeng allegedly attempted to commit suicide before and “nearly died.”
On Thursday, while rumors and news about Zeng Ying circulated online, her Weibo account showed up as restricted and was no longer searchable via the platform’s search function.
Zeng Ying’s Weibo history showed the reporter shared her struggles before. “Life of course is very difficult,” she wrote on Weibo on June 26: “If you think life is sweet, then you are very lucky to have gotten the sugar that is not often obtained.”
Some commenters think the storm of criticism and online bullying Zeng Ying suffered earlier this month is directly related to her worsening condition and alleged suicide attempt.
Reporter Home (@记者的家), an official Weibo account dedicated to journalism, shared a post by reporter Li Jifeng (李继锋) about Zeng Ying, which said that she had been rushed to the hospital in Japan.
“We don’t know further details regarding this news, but we expect Zeng Ying to get through this difficult time, life is too valuable to waste,” Reporter Home wrote.
Many commenters, however, did not sympathize with the reporter, saying she was just putting up an act and writing things like: “If she genuinely liked and respected Abe, she deserves the same as him.” “Go and accompany him,” others wrote.
“Seeing everyone’s attitude, I feel hopeless,” one person reacted, with another person adding: “These comments are just scary.”
One Weibo hashtag regarding Zeng’s alleged suicide attempt (“Zeng Ying Suicide” #曾颖自杀#) was taken offline on Thursday.
We will add further details to this story once they come out.
For information and support on mental health and suicide, international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
By Manya Koetse
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