Journalists slam Gov. Pillen for calling Chinese reporter from Nebraska publication ‘a Communist’

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The Flatwater Free Press and the Asian American Journalists Association are standing by an investigative reporter after Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen called her “a Communist” when dismissing her in-depth report critical of his farming operation.

The response comes after comments the governor made regarding his family hog farming business. It’s not unusual for the target of a story to lash out at the journalist rather than take issue with the content.

Last month, Pillen took aim at Yanqi Xu, a reporter from the Flatwater Free Press, after her investigative story raised questions about the environmental impact his hog farms had on drinking water.

The Flatwater Free Press is an independent nonprofit news organization focusing on Nebraska stories.

“I really wanted to do journalism in a way that transcended a lot of the common talking points,” Xu told 6 News.

Xu has worked on various investigations in Omaha for two years. In that time, her work on examining high nitrate levels and the potential link to childhood cancer has won a national award. When she zeroed in on Pillen Family Farms — the governor’s company — she found the data for 16 of his hog farms showed high nitrate levels.

According to the reporter, the governor directed questions to the Pillen Family Farms CEO — his daughter, Sarah — who said they’ve always had a commitment to being “positive… stewards of the land.”

Days after the story ran, KFAB asked the governor to comment on Xu’s reporting during an interview with him while he was on a trade mission to South Korea and Japan.

“We have to have great trade partners. The people in Japan — we match up,” he said during the interview. “We love doing business with people that want a win-win relationship. Our history is really simple: We’ve had Japanese immigrants over 100 years ago that helped in agriculture, the railroad, and we are the most welcoming state in the country — the most pro-business state in the country, and we have products that we can compete with anybody in the world.”

But when asked about the Flatwater Free Press report, here’s what he said on the radio airwaves:

“No. 1: I didn’t read it — and I won’t. No. 2: All you got to do is look at the author. The author is from Communist China. What more do you need to know?”

“I found it disheartening that it was the only thing he said,” Xu told 6 News on Tuesday.

This much is true: Yanqi Xu grew up in China. But she pursued American journalism — and got her master’s degree — at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

“I had hoped the governor would respond and that could help tell the full story in a way,” she said. “But I was not expecting him to only address one thing: where I’m from.”

Matt Wynn, the executive director who launched the Flatwater Free Press, penned a letter of outrage Tuesday over the governor’s comments.

“Come at us over the facts,” he told 6 News on Tuesday. “Come at us over the journalism. That’s fair game. Don’t come after our reporters for who they are.”

It’s been more than a month since the governor’s comments on the radio. And like the original story, there’s been no response from him. As for Yanqi Xu, she said her friends who are Chinese and living in Nebraska have been supportive.

“Some of them told me they found it pretty hurtful and unacceptable. That’s why I think there’s value in holding those in power to account,” she said.

Tuesday afternoon, the AAJA also offered a reaction to what the governor said. The executive director told 6 News that Yanqi Xu “deserves to do her job without fear of being dismissed and discredited solely because of her country of origin”; and that the journalist organization stands with her.

“Having an independent and diverse press corps is essential to democracy, and Yanqui Xu deserves to do her job without fear of being dismissed and discredited solely because of her country of origin. AAJA stands with Yanqui Xu and the Flatwater Free Press, and we’re committed to supporting a pipeline of diverse journalists who can hold governments accountable without being subjected to xenophobic stereotypes.

Xu said they gave the governor two months to respond to the report before publishing the “Our Dirty Water” series — but were directed to Pillen Family Farms for a statement.

6 News checked in again Tuesday, this time over the “Communist China” radio comments directed at the reporter and haven’t heard back yet either.

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Digital Director Gina Dvorak contributed to this report.

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