Space, the final frontier of Chinese news manipulation
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In a lecture he gave to a group of journalism students last month, a top official at Xinhua, the state news agency, said the mission was not so picture perfect.
The official, Xia Lin, described how a design flaw had exposed the astronaut to excessive G-force pressure during re-entry, splitting his lip and drenching his face in blood.
Startled but undaunted, workers quickly mopped up the blood, strapped him back in his seat and shut the door.
Then, with cameras rolling, the cabin door swung open again, revealing an unblemished moment of triumph.
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