You know it’s bad when the corporate stooges at ABC's Good Morning America beat you to the punch. After all, these are journalists who have spun for their communist China-loving bosses at Disney. But that’s what happened on Tuesday as GMA reporters highlighted the mysterious disappearance of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, a vocal critic of his government’s policies.
After comparing Ma to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, GMA reporter Rebecca Jarvis explained, “The famously outspoken 56-year-old making headlines in October after delivering a speech critical of the Chinese government, accusing financial regulators of suffocating innovation and likening its banks to behaving like pawnshops.”
She ominously added, “He hasn't been seen publicly since, even missing a scheduled appearance on a reality talent show he had previously said he was looking forward to.” CBS This Morning on Monday briefly covered the story in a news brief, calling it “bizarre and scary.” But NBC is still MIA when it comes to this important story.
NBC in 2021 hasn’t covered the disappearance of Ma and it’s astonishing that ABC would dare to do so. In September of 2020, Good Morning America spiked the story that Mulan, a movie released by Disney, filmed near brutal Chinese concentration camps. (Again, Disney owns ABC.)
On the September 4 GMA, Tom Llamas previewed the release of the movie: “Now to a highly anticipated movie fans have waited months to see, the epic live action film Mulan hits Disney+ today.” Sounding like a corporate shill, Will Reeve hyped, “Disney+ Premiere Access members can start streaming Mulan right now before it’s available to all Disney+ subscribers on December 4.”
In November of 2019, the GMA hosts cheered, “Christmas comes early,” promoting the Disney+ platform for 17 minutes.
So if even ABC can cover the Ma story, what is NBC's excuse? The Today show on Monday and Tuesday didn’t mention the mysterious disappearance. But on Monday’s Today, the hosts found a minute of air time to hype Peacock, the NBC streaming platform.
On CBS This Morning, Monday, hosts treated the story seriously:
ANTHONY MASON: Very scary. He gave a speech at the end of October in which he suggested the Chinese were stifling innovation. A week later he was summoned by Chinese authorities and now vanished.
TONY DOKOUPIL: No joke.
DUTHIERS: It’s sort of like Jeff Bezos going missing. That’s how big of a deal, and big of a billionaire.
GMA's Jarvis closed by claiming, “Sources close to Jack Ma tell ABC News that he is okay but he is lying low for now.” Either way, NBC should cover this story.
The censoring of the news on NBC’s Today was sponsored by Subaru.
Transcripts can be found below. Click “expand” to read more.
Good Morning America
1/5/2020
7:37:28 to 7:40:20
2 minutes and 52 secondsGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: To the mystery surrounding tech tycoon Jack Ma. The billionaire founder of China’s Alibaba has not been seen in public since October when he blasted Chinese regulators in a speech. That drew fire from China's leaders and Rebecca Jarvis has the story. Good morning, Rebecca.
REBECCA JARVIS: Good morning, George. He is very powerful, very wealthy and generally a very public figure, but since giving this speech that was critical of China's government, Jack Ma hasn't been seen in public and now many are questioning where is Jack Ma. He's one of the world's wealthiest tech entrepreneurs worth an estimated $50 billion.
JACK MA: No matter we are from a country big, small, rich or poor, everybody should have the equal chance to compete.
REBECCA JARVIS: But for the past two months Jack Ma, the flamboyant founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, the closest thing in China to Amazon, hasn't been seen in public. The famously outspoken 56-year-old making headlines in October after delivering a speech critical of the Chinese government, accusing financial regulators of suffocating innovation and likening its banks to behaving like pawnshops. The 20 minute speech drawing the ire of the Chinese government triggering an antitrust investigation into his company. One week later, the billionaire and his team were summoned to Beijing for a dressing down. He hasn't been seen publicly since, even missing a scheduled appearance on a reality talent show he had previously said he was looking forward to.
MA: I like your passion and I like your motto.
JARVIS: His company citing a scheduling conflict. Ma, a married father of three known for his rags to riches life story, raised in communist China the former schoolteacher failing his entrance exams twice. Notoriously turned down for dozens of jobs including one at KFC before finally hitting it big with Alibaba. Ma telling Diane Sawyer in 2010 China's climate is changing.
DIANE SAWYER: You think ultimately that there will be a political change because of the economic change?
MA: It is changing. If I talk to you like this ten years ago, 20 years ago, I would be squared. I mean 20 years ago I would probably end up in prison. Now we can talk. I do not want to make the government happy but I don't want to make them unhappy. I do not give up. I could have given up a hundred times but I did not give up. I say, “Well, the job I've been doing is helping millions.”
JARVIS: Experts believe the Chinese government wants to send a message here that no matter how much money you make, you will never be more powerful than the state and sources close to Jack Ma tell ABC News that he is okay but he is lying low for now, guys. Guys?
CBS This Morning
1/4/2021
7:48:39 to 7:49:51
1 minutes and 12 secondsVLAD DUTHIERS: There is new speculation that Chinese multi-billionaire Jack Ma is missing. The country’s third richest man hasn't been seen in public in two months. He missed an appearance on the final episode of his reality TV show. At the same time, regulators in Beijing cracked down on his Alibaba business empire. Scrutiny of Ma’s business empire kicked into high gear after he publicly accused China’s regulators of being behind the times. So this is like —
GAYLE KING: Very bizarre and scary, Vlad.
ANTHONY MASON: Very scary. He gave a speech at the end of October in which he suggested the Chinese were stifling innovation. A week later he was summoned by Chinese authorities and now vanished.
TONY DOKOUPIL: No joke.
DUTHIERS: It’s sort of like Jeff Bezos going missing. That’s how big of a deal, and big of a billionaire.
KING: Do we think he vanished on his own or do we think something nefarious?
DOKOUPIL: It’s hard to know. It’s hard to know. Oftentimes what you have seen in the past in China is people disappear and then come back. Sometimes their sentenced to prison after those moments when they’re not in the public eye. So we’ll keep digging.
KING: And Jeff Bezos is saying, don't put my name out there!
DUTHIERS: We’re just talking about in terms of wallet size. Not in terms of the disappearance.
