Inappropriate Remarks by Chinese State TV Announcer... Dismissed
Rises as SNS Star with "Voice of the People" Support
A Chinese state TV announcer who said "the Japan earthquake is karma" was fired for inappropriate remarks. However, his social media (SNS) account followers surged, surpassing 8 million, making him an online star.
Local media including Guancha.cn reported on the 6th that Hainan TV excluded announcer Xiao Chenghao from work and launched an investigation after his remarks about the Japan earthquake on the 2nd, and subsequently dismissed him on the 4th.
On the 1st, a magnitude 7.6 strong earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Honshu, Japan. As of the morning of the 6th, a provisional tally reported 100 deaths and 211 missing persons.
On the day of the earthquake, Xiao Chenghao posted a video on his Weibo (Chinese Twitter) and Douyin (Chinese TikTok) accounts, saying, "A sudden magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Japan. Is this bao ying (報應, karma or retribution)?" as he reported the earthquake news.
He added, "Such a major natural disaster on the first day of the new year means that all of Japan will be shrouded in dark clouds throughout 2024," and "The nuclear contaminated water (Japanese government term 'treated water') must not be discharged into the ocean."
Although Xiao Chenghao was fired from the broadcasting station due to his problematic remarks, his Douyin followers surged from 1 million to 8.21 million in just five days by the 5th, and he became a wanghong (網紅, Chinese online influencer) with 310 million likes.
At the time, most Chinese media and netizens criticized him, saying, "It is inappropriate to liken an earthquake that caused many casualties to karma." Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Chinese state-run Global Times (GT), criticized on his personal social media account, "I support Hainan Radio and TV's (disciplinary) decision," adding, "Xiao's post damaged the image of the Hainan Radio and Television Administration and deserves proper punishment."
However, there were also many voices defending him, saying, "It is not wrong," and "He represented public sentiment." Even after the news of his dismissal, supportive messages continued to be posted on his Douyin account. Netizens defended him, saying, "Although there is some controversy, his remarks were just and represented the feelings of the Chinese people."
Some media also showed a tone supporting Xiao Chenghao, stating, "A considerable number of netizens regard the earthquake following Japan's discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the ocean as tiandao lunhui (天道輪廻, the cyclical law of nature) and bad retribution (報應不爽)."
Xiao Chenghao, a graduate of the prestigious Fudan University in China, had been a leading announcer at Hainan TV, hosting comprehensive news and the Chinese biggest holiday Spring Festival (Chun Jie, 春節) special variety shows.
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