The Censoring of Peng Shuai

The Daily

• Episode: The Censoring of Peng Shuai
• Website: The Daily
• Feed URL: http://rss.art19.com/the-daily
• Duration: 00:27:50
• Published: 2021-12-10 11:50

In November, Peng Shuai — one of China’s most popular tennis stars — took to Chinese social media to accuse Zhang Gaoli, who was a member of China’s seven-member ruling committee, of sexually assaulting her.

Within minutes, Chinese censors had taken down Ms. Peng’s post, and, for weeks, no one sees or hears from her.

We look at Ms. Peng’s story and what China’s attempts to censor her have meant for the sports industry.  

Guest: Matthew Futterman, a sports reporter for The New York Times.

Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. 

Background reading: 

• Chinese propaganda officials have tried to shape the global discussion of the tennis player Peng Shuai’s #MeToo accusations, but their top-down strategy has largely stumbled.
• The WTA has suspended its future tournaments in China and Hong Kong, as questions linger over Ms. Peng. What major sports are still in China amid the scandal?

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.