Support appreciated for freedom of expression

In recent years a number of products from China have been contaminated: pet food, toothpaste, children’s toys and now milk products.

Beijing did not allow state-run media to break the news of the tainted milk until after the Olympics, even though it was known about in July.
Information censorship endangers lives.

Information censorship has cost human lives.

For this reason I am particularly thankful to Congressman Goode for joining 66 members on a letter of Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., to Giuliano Berretta, chairman of Eutelsat, a French satellite company, requesting to reinstate New Tang Dynasty Television’s signal to China on its Asia beam.

NTDTV is a U.S.-based, non-governmental TV broadcaster feeding the globe, including mainland China via Eutelsat, with uncensored Chinese language programming 24/7. Its fresh air is in dire need by millions of citizens looking for an alternative to the state propaganda machine. NTDTV carries news that the Chinese regime wishes to keep quiet, such as the cover-up of SARS, a story that the station broke in China three weeks before Beijing admitted the problem.

Uncensored media are also essential to keep companies and regulators honest, expose lapses and provide the public with critical updates on safety problems. A flood of product recalls, including toxic toys, milk, pet food and other dangerous exports, concern everyone.

However, on June 16, seven weeks before the Beijing Olympic Games, Eutelsat suspended NTDTV out of a premeditated, politically motivated decision, violating the free flow of information and the convention under which the company operates, said a Reporters Without Borders July 10 release.

It’s sad to see the people living in the world’s most populous country deprived of something taken for granted by everyone in the United States. It’s even sadder to learn that a greed-driven western company is giving up western values. This is a cause too important to fail. Because China lies, people die – and the rest of the world are sharing the same pain of the lack of free information as a result.

Many thanks to Congressman Goode for his great support on this important issue.