Chinese reporters walk out over editor’s removal

ABOUT 100 Beijing News reporters walked out in protest at this week’s dismissal of the top editor, the latest victim of China’s strict press controls, industry sources said yesterday.

Disgruntled journalists also displayed their anger through a photograph in the paper showing a flock of birds flying through dark skies above the newspaper’s office, with one bird leading. “The sky may not be very clear, but they will still fly into the distance with their mission close to their hearts,” said a note with the picture.

The editor-in-chief of the Beijing News, Yang Bin, was abruptly removed two days ago without any official explanation.