Reporter arrested for fake story

BEIJING – Chinese police have arrested a journalist accused of faking an investigative report on buns stuffed with shredded cardboard that made headlines around the world and Beijing Television apologized for airing the footage.

The arrest came as China struggled to contain growing allegations about product safety.

Beijing Television apologized during an evening news broadcast, saying the bun report was a hoax and the reporter had been taken into custody, but did not say when.

“He used deceptive means to get the footage on the air,” said news anchor Wang Ye, without giving specifics. “The Beijing Public Security Bureau has taken the criminal suspect, Zi, into custody and he will be severely dealt with according to law.”

The official Xinhua News Agency said the suspect’s full name is Zi Beijia.

Zi’s footage appeared to show a makeshift kitchen where vendors made fluffy buns stuffed with chopped-up cardboard that had been softened in caustic soda and mixed with pork fat and flavoring.

The footage gained worldwide media attention, reinforcing the image of China’s food safety woes. It made headlines in China as well and created a buzz on the Internet, where people flooded chat rooms with comments expressing shock and disgust. On YouTube, the video had been viewed more than 6,000 times by Thursday.

Zi filmed the fake report after coming under pressure to produce a story, Xinhua said.

The station said it was “profoundly sorry” for the fake report and its “vile impact on society.”