Martin Li

    martin.mouse@163.com

    A LOCAL journalist has been convicted by Futian District People’s Court of committing libel against a restaurant by writing an article accusing it of using gutter oil.

    The journalist, Chen Chen, published the article via his WeChat on Aug. 27 last year, listing restaurants on Xinwen Road in Futian District that he alleged to have used gutter oil, illicit cooking oil recycled from kitchen waste collected from a variety of unsanitary places, such as sewer drains.

    One restaurant on the list, Mianshizongdongyuan, a noodle restaurant, took Chen to court in December last year, asking for 100,000 yuan (US$16,129) in compensation.

    After the first trial, the district court asked Chen to make an apology to the restaurant on his WeChat account in no less than 90 days.

    Chen published an article on his WeChat account Wednesday saying he plans to lodge an appeal against the ruling, although he respects the first verdict.

    “I admit that the wording in my article might be inappropriate. I had no intention to defame (any restaurant),” said Chen in his latest WeChat article.

    Chen also said it is hardly possible for an ordinary consumer to provide effective proof in such disputes.

    “The restaurant’s demand for 100,000 yuan in compensation is baseless,” said Chen. “It failed to prove in court that my article led to a decrease in its sales volume.”

    The restaurant’s owner, surnamed Song, said he insisted on receiving the compensation and will also lodge an appeal.

    “My goal is not money. I want him to pay for what he did. I will donate the compensation if I am granted 100,000 yuan,” said Song.

    Song’s restaurant offered 10,000 yuan to anybody who can find gutter oil in the food he sells after Chen’s article put the restaurant in the spotlight.

    “It doesn’t cost much to demote, but it’s costly to safeguard the reputation,” Song said in an interview with a local TV station in December.

    In the controversial article, Chen wrote that he has a sensitive stomach and is especially prone to becoming sick from food made with gutter oil. He listed all the restaurants that gave him stomach problems, many of which are popular with office workers and residents around Xinwen Road.

    The article received wide attention and stirred a heated discussion in the city. Chen said that he loves eating and has tried all the restaurants on Xinwen Road since 2004.