On April 14th, the highly publicized "elementary student Qin Lang loses homework in Paris during winter vacation" incident recently reached its climax with a dramatic turnaround.
Official reports have confirmed that the video showing "the discovery of elementary student Qin Lang's homework in Paris" was fabricated, leading to the suspension of accounts across multiple platforms belonging to the implicated blogger (known online as "Thurman Cat Cup").
According to reports from CCTV News, behind many so-called internet celebrities and their influx of followers lies the operation of similar corporate entities, known as MCN agencies, orchestrating traffic boosts.
Simply put, an MCN is the force behind the scenes that helps internet celebrities rise to fame.
What kind of punishment do MCN agencies behind the rumor mongers face?
According to Zhu Wei, Vice Director of the Communication Law Research Center at China University of Political Science and Law, sometimes, when false information surfaces, it's not just the account holders who are to blame, but also the MCN agencies they're affiliated with.
Their aim is to generate buzz by perpetuating and confirming old news with new twists.
Specific laws address this issue, requiring platforms to strengthen their oversight of MCNs.
For instance, if an MCN is found spreading false information or using matrix methods to propagate falsehoods, the platform must remove them from its roster and impose certain restrictions.
According to official reports, Xu XX (female, 29 years old, online alias "Thurman Cat in a Cup") and her colleague Xue XX (male, 30 years old) jointly planned and fabricated a series of videos claiming to have found a primary school student named Qin Lang's lost winter holiday homework.
Subsequently, they purchased winter holiday homework online, filmed relevant videos with their phones, and disseminated them across multiple online platforms, causing severe repercussions.
Recap of the incident:
On February 16th, internet celebrity "Cat in a Cup" fabricated a story about finding winter holiday homework belonging to a first-grade student named Qin Lang in Paris and expressed intentions to return the homework to Qin Lang in China.
Shortly after, a netizen claiming to be "Qin Lang's uncle" posted a video and went live, reigniting interest in the "response from Qin Lang's family about the lost winter holiday homework," which quickly became a hot topic.
Amid skepticism from numerous netizens and media outlets, "Cat in a Cup" even emphasized the authenticity of the incident in a video, stating that "we have already contacted the other party's mother, so there is no need for everyone to continue searching. After communication, the other party is unwilling to appear on camera, and we do not want to disturb their lives. This matter can be considered concluded."
It wasn't until official intervention and investigation that the truth came to light.
