Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen is facing backlash from lawmakers and the journalism community after he dismissed the reporting of a Chinese journalist on the basis of her nationality.
Yanqi Xu of the Omaha-based Flatwater Free Press wrote a piece in September revealing that 16 of the hog farms owned or operated by the Republican governor’s family have recorded nitrate levels higher than what is considered safe to drink.
Days later, Pillen was asked on local radio station KFAB about the story.
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“Number one, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” he said. “Number two, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?”
On Wednesday, Judy Chu, Democratic congresswoman of California and chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said in a statement: “I condemn Governor Pillen’s baseless xenophobic attack against Yanqi Xu and call upon him to apologise to her, the Flatwater Free Press and every Nebraskan hurt by his words.”
The Asian American Journalists Association’s board of directors also issued a statement in support of Xu on Wednesday.
“Having an independent and diverse press corps is essential to democracy, and Xu deserves to do her job without being judged because of her nationality or where she grew up,” it said.
“We are committed to supporting diverse journalists who are working to hold governments and elected officials accountable, and we denounce statements that may fuel xenophobia or prejudice.”
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On Tuesday, Flatwater Free Press Executive Director Matt Wynn wrote on the non-profit news organisation’s website that Pillen’s comments had infuriated him as an employer, embarrassed him as a Nebraskan, and saddened him as a believer in a free press.
“Had Governor Pillen spoken to the facts Yanqi found, I wouldn’t be writing this now,” Wynn wrote.
According to Xu’s report, ingesting high amounts of nitrate has been linked to health issues like thyroid disease, birth defects and cancer.
Xu grew up in the city of Guangzhou in Guangdong province, but has lived in the US since 2017 when she came to pursue a master’s in journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
She has worked for the Flatwater Free Press for two years and earlier this year won a national award for her reporting on Nebraska’s high nitrate levels.
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Xu is the recipient of a US visa reserved for those with “extraordinary ability”, according to Wynn.
On Tuesday, Xu wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter: “Being a reporter, I never wanted to make myself the story.”
“We did the story because it’s important. It concerns public health. But we never heard back from the governor’s business except for a general statement. Then I heard the governor’s comment, which saddened me.”
Pillen’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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