CCTV FOLLIES 8.11 Casualties of the flood

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The editorial tone on the floods has shifted from one of party triumphalism combatting a natural disaster to the flotsam and jetsam of sad individual stories. Grief about causalties is a sensitive topic on state TV and is carefully channeled so as not to stoke underlying anger and dismay. The illustrious Xi Jinping, who has a penchant for taking credit for all things good and hiding during bouts of bad news, is still hiding.

Walking a political tightrope, CCTV tenatively airs a few isolated but heartfelt cases of citizen grief. Memorably, and without affectation, Li Qiaoling, shares her anguish at the flood death of a mayor in Mentougou, an outlying area of Beijing. The shocking footage of cars afloat in a violent flood stream, which made the rounds on social media a week ago, is shown for the first time on Xinwen Lianbo. The harrowing phone shots are attributed to a local villager.