A newsroom in Nebraska said it was infuriated after the state’s governor dismissed a critical news article about his business because, he said, the reporter behind it was from “communist China.”
Gov. Jim Pillen (R) has faced fierce criticism for the comment after the reporter, Yanqi Xu, published an investigation last month for the Flatwater Free Press detailing high nitrate levels at his hog farms. Xu sifted through government records that found 16 of Pillen’s farms had nitrate levels five times higher than is considered safe to drink.
Pillen was asked about the article on Nebraska radio several days later, where he discounted the story and criticized Xu’s nationality.
“No. 1, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” Pillen said at the time. “No. 2, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?”
Xu grew up in Guangzhou, China, and studied English and journalism in Beijing. She moved to America and earned a master’s degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia, later reporting at several media outlets. She has worked at Flatwater Free Press for two years, quickly becoming “a key reporter — for us and for Nebraska,” the website said.
“She’s whip smart. She’s pit bull stubborn. She’s a courageous reporter, a remarkable reporter,” Matt Wynn, the outlet’s executive director, wrote in a column this week. “She’s remarkable, period.”
He added the Free Press had taken its time to respond to the governor’s comments as Xu is in the United States on a visa reserved for those with “extraordinary ability.” Wynn said he wanted to consult with immigration attorneys to avoid risking her visa…
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