The Fake Tiger Photo
Human flesh search played an important role in supervision of government as well. In the Fake Tiger Case happened in 2008, the rigorous and sane analysis by human flesh search and the great pressure of public opinion online forced the government involved to admit its fault in the end. The case started from a photo taken by a farmer in Shaanxi Province of a live Huanan Tiger, which was believed to have been extinct many years ago, in 2008. In the eagerness to attract the attention and subsidies from central government and promote the local economy, the local government declared that Huanan Tiger was still living in local area without any crosscheck on the photo. Many people were suspicious of the authenticity of the photo after they saw it online but the local government insisted on its claim. Angered by the irresponsible attitude and the neglect of public opinion by the local government, netizens mobilized again to try to find out the truth; the photo of the tiger became the trigger of the confrontation between public and government. A local case spread nationwide. After a few months’ stalemate, in the face of rigorous analysis and great number of proofs given out by the netizens, the local government admitted that the photo was a fake at last. The officials who were in charge of the crosscheck were penalized. The Fake Tiger Case became a triumph of the public over the government.
The Reports on Fake Tiger Case from Xinhua News Agency
Report of Fake Tiger Case from sina.com