Thread by @RealSexyCyborg

I'm a Mainland Chinese citizen, high profile, and at risk. @Vice broke a written agreement not to discuss my relationships or personal life- they never do with men in tech they interview. In the end, the speculation in their article directly resulted in my being Outed.

https://twitter.com/marimoomilk/status/1621721997704036352

In the weeks prior to the release of the article I knew would turn my world upside down dozens of journalists were told of the situation- journalists in China with full knowledge of exactly what @Vice was doing would result in. All were too careerist to speak up- and still are.

I begged @UWJournEthics, @risj_oxford, @spj_tweets, @cnmediaproject, @onoorgombuds, @EJNetwork for help. Not one would intercede, speak up, or even mediate. They do not exist to advocate any kind of ethical code- they exist to ensure the profession has a veneer of legitimacy.

Before defending myself I pursued *every* avenue- I begged @Vice to talk to journalists with experience reporting in China, about exactly what the potential consequences were of Outing a high-profile Chinese woman- they refused. They had clickbait, and did not care who it harmed.

My obligation is the safety of myself, my partner, and my family. I have a right to defend myself against a threat, acted on simply for the sake of clicks. @Vice came to my country, lied to me to get a story, and not one organization would hold them to account.

You don't get to harm someone and play the victim when it's clear you knowingly intended harm, and they act to protect themselves- no matter what your profession.
The end result of my acting to protect myself, and mine was @Vice pressuring @Patreon to terminate my account.

I've lost 2/3rd of my income for the last 5 years- which I accept as the consequence of needing to defend myself by the only path remaining. But not one person responsible has faced even mild rebuke from their colleagues. The entire profession is complicit. No one spoke up.

Western Journalists have broad leeway under freedom of speech laws- this is good. In most countries, they are not directly regulated by the state- this is also good. But I'm living proof, that like police with Qualified Immunity, the profession is incapable of self-regulating.

You are not "one of the good ones" if you see parachute journalists throw at-risk women living in authoritarian countries under the bus- and are silent because you don't want to burn bridges. As a journalist, you are accountable, if all are silent? The profession is to blame.

Correction, @BeijingPalmer did reach out at the time on backchannel I think and try to explain. The rest of the foreign correspondents I contacted- who are quick to feign concern for Chinese, did nothing and said nothing when the danger posed was from one of their own.