Blackmail journalism on the rise in China

An article by Edward Cody appearing in the March 18, 2007 edition of The Toronto Star.

At 9 p.m. in a dark Shenzhen parking lot, Dr. Bai Xiuyu handed over a plain envelope in what was supposed to be a discreet blackmail payment to a local reporter in this southern Chinese city.

The money in the envelope – 15,000 yuan, about $2,000 (all figures U.S.) – was to be paid to three reporters who'd threatened to go public with a story saying her health clinic was providing services it was not certified to perform, including abortions."