Journalist Safety · Full chronicle and history

On September 15, Tahir Imin, founder of the Uyghur Times, testified at a U.S. Congressional hearing, revealing that the media outlet had been subjected to massive traffic attacks and harassment by spoofed websites. An Anthropic report indicated that actors used Claude AI to orchestrate smear campaigns and reporting against the outlet's journalists, and exploited the vulnerabilities of the families of Uyghurs living abroad to issue threats.

Wu Zhongmin, a reporter from Jiangxi Radio and Television Station, was slapped in the face by the father of the person in charge of a company involved in a dispute while interviewing at a Xiaer Baba homestay in Shenzhen. The All-China Journalists Association has spoken out in support of the reporter's right to perform their duties according to law and demanded severe punishment for the assailant.

Despite Beijing's dense air defense network and strict low‑altitude control regulations, a small, slow aircraft with weak radar reflectivity still managed to breach the air defense grid and, after about 20 minutes of signal loss, crashed into the CITIC Tower.

Shortly after the incident, SWAT vehicles equipped with drone countermeasures appeared on Beijing streets, indicating the authorities' strengthened control over low-altitude flying devices.

CITIC Wealth Management published an exclusive interview with Liu Junhua, General Manager of the Special Account Investment Division. The timestamp was 1:03 PM, predating the Chaoyang District government's announcement, seemingly to prove Liu Junhua was still with the company and respond to speculation that he might be a "pilot" (a euphemism for someone who has fled).

A Bilibili aviation blogger relayed an industry insider’s tip, stating that the pilot was a male tech company head in his sixties named Liu Minghua, who, due to a romantic dispute, embezzled public funds and suffered a mental breakdown, leading him to commit suicide by jumping off a building, attempting to downplay the political color of the incident.

The glass curtain wall on the 83rd floor of CITIC Tower in Beijing was breached, causing a fire. Rumors online suggest the aircraft involved may have turned off its transponder and deviated from its course. Building employees were urgently evacuated, and related news was heavily scrubbed on social media.

A single-engine, two-seat light sport aircraft collided with a high-rise building near the East Third Ring Road in Chaoyang District, Beijing, killing the pilot and injuring 13 people on site, sparking widespread attention and speculation about air defense safety.

Financial Times reporter at the takeoff site Shifo Temple Airport witnessed police searching a black Buick sedan and searching the flight school office, showing the authorities' level of concern over the incident.

On February 2, 2026, the Jinjiang Branch of the Chengdu Public Security Bureau announced that former investigative journalist Liu Hu and self-media person Wu Yingjiao were subject to criminal coercive measures on suspicion of fabricating accusations to frame others and illegal business operations. The two had previously published reports alleging that Pu Fayou, the Party Secretary of Pujang County, was suspected of illegally seizing corporate assets. The incident sparked condemnation from journalist organizations and public opinion both at home and abroad. On February 14, the police, citing the application of the two individuals, changed the coercive measures to release on bail pending trial in accordance with Article 67 of the Criminal Procedure Law. On September 10, 2026, defense lawyer Zhou Ze released the decision of the Jinjiang Branch to lift the bail pending trial, citing 'changes in the case circumstances,' and Liu Hu would not need to stand trial. Liu Hu had previously filed real-name reports against several high-ranking officials between 2012 and 2013, leading to multiple detentions.