Bi Fujian, a Chinese TV news anchor, is facing “severe punishment” because of a leaked video showing him singing a parody song making fun of Mao Zedong at a private banquet this spring. Bi was taken off the air for the incident and his employer has recently been ordered to stiffen punishments against him. Some are criticizing the punishment as a violation of free-speech rights, while hard-liners are defending the crackdown as an unpardonable political offense.
