General Japan

Washington Times Freelancer Slams Former Employer, Fails to Ethically Disclose Relationship?

Former Tokyo-based freelance journalist Christopher Johnson has been sending Cease and Desist letters to JapanProbe. In these letters, he claimed that his journalism “been beyond reproach for 25 years,” and implies that my recent blog posts pointing out inconsistencies in his “gaijin gulag” article are tarnishing his reputation. This prompted me to look further into his past work.

Freelancer hired by JVA in 2010, but rejected in 2011

In late 2010 Japan hosted the Volleyball World Cup. The Japan Volleyball Association (JVA) paid Canadian freelance journalist Christopher Johnson to write articles about the event.

The 2011 Volleyball World Cup was also hosted in Japan. Although Johnson once again applied for a job with the JVA, he was rejected.

The exact reasons behind the JVA’s decision are unknown. However, we do know Johnson’s side of the story. In a blog post dated November 11 2011, Johnson viciously attacked Hiromi Suzuki of the JVA, claiming that she unfairly blocked his assignment after he received the endorsement of a press officer of the International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB):

“…she cancelled Johnson off the list. ((Last year, though he wrote lengthy, detailed semi-final and final reports, he insisted on also doing a story for a newspaper I never heard of (the New York Times.) That was weird. Even worse, he went home from Hamamatsu on his day off to take care of his dying dog. And when I made mistakes calculating his travel expenses of 14,800 yen, he asked me to do the math again. He’s a troublemaker.))

[...]

“Before Johnson could conclude a deal potentially worth about 1.2 million yen, however, Suzuki seized the chance to get revenge on Johnson for causing “meiwaku” (trouble) by going home on his day off to take care of his dying dog. Over the phone, she told Baker that Johnson threatened to take her to court, and he still owed the JVA 1820 yen (about $25) in transport costs from last year.”

Johnson, who is writing about himself in the third-person, was clearly unhappy about missing out on the deal. The article seems to characterize Suzuki as a lazy idiot who disliked foreigners (“sent by her parents to ESL programs in London, she learned to hate English and distrust foreigners”). Rick Martin, the freelancer who was hired for the position the Johnson had hoped to fill, is characterized as someone hired because he “didn’t ask ‘difficult’ journalistic questions at press conferences.” Other JVA employees are also characterized as anti-foreign, and Japanese journalists are described as showing up drunk to volleyball matches.

[Update(Feb. ]: Johnson has since deleted his original blog post and replaced it with a NYT article. Knowing Johnson’s history of such behavior, I set up a Version tracking page. The cached version of the article is also still up. ]

Rejected freelancer writes articles slamming the JVA (without disclosing past employment)

A few weeks later, Johnson found two media outlets that were willing to publish articles that were intensely critical of the JVA:

• Japan Tobacco accused of marketing to girls at World Cup volleyball (Washington Times / November 24, 2011)
• Is Japan’s 2020 Olympic bid going up in smoke? Rest of the world fuming over tobacco sponsorship of sports in Japan. (CNN GO / December 6, 2011)

Japan Tobacco(JT)’s sponsorship of the JVA had been mentioned in Johnson’s earlier anti-JVA blog post. These two articles take that complaint a step further, framing it as story about anti-smoking campaigners who disapprove of JT.

Both articles failed to disclose Johnson’s past relationship with the JVA/FIVB. It is unlikely that any readers knew that Johnson had once worked as a JVA writer, and had just recently blogged about his intense frustration over having not been re-hired for JVA’s 2011 writing gig. From an ethical standpoint, this seems like a pretty massive disclosure failure. Shouldn’t readers have a right to know that they’re reading something written by a person that could be characterized as a disgruntled former JVA writer?

It is not clear if Johnson had disclosed his past work for the JVA/FIVB when submitting the article to the editors of CNN Go and the Washington Times.

Were cigarettes really being marketed to children?

Near the end of the Washington Times article it is revealed that the products being advertised were beverages:

“JT is a multi-products company and they are our sponsor as the beverage category for this World Cup.”

Readers are informed that the company in question, Japan Tobacco, has a beverage division. They are not informed that JT sells many very popular beverages such as Roots Coffee, Tsujiri Tea, Hot Lemon, and bottled variations of Doutor coffee and hot chocolate.

The JT name and logo are often used in coffee commercials:

It is possible that the articles mentioned in this post may be altered or deleted in the future. For the sake of posterity, here are some cached copies:

• Cached copy of Johnson’s November 2010 blog post about writing for the JVA
• Cached Copy of Johnson’s November 2011 Blog Post Attacking JVA Employees
• Cached Copy of November 2011 Washington Times article about JT’s sponsorship of JVA
• Cached Copy of December 2011 CNN Go article about JT sponsorship of JVA

Megalodon.jp is an automated site that creates cached copies of web addresses. Keeping track of what Journalists write on public blogs is not abuse.

[A huge thanks goes out to several anonymous cyber sleuths, who were kind enough to inform me about these volleyball articles. And, most of all, thanks to Christopher Johnson. ]

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Christopher Johnson Attempts to Silence Criticism of His “Gaijin Gulag” Article (Legal Threats!!!)

On January 20th and 23rd, I wrote posts about Canadian journalist Christopher Johnson’s account of being denied entry to Japan:

• Christopher Johnson Under Fire For “Gaijin Gulag” Article
• “Gaijin Gulag” Victim Christopher Johnson Discloses Visa Information ( Work Visa Application Paperwork, But No Approval? )

Johnson is now trying to intimidate me into deleting those blog posts. He wants my criticism of his article to disappear from the internet. I will not be threatened or bullied into silence.

Many people were skeptical about Johnson’s extraordinary story. When people asked legitimate questions about his visa status, he was evasive. When critics pointed to parts of the personal account that they thought were inconsistent or false, those parts would disappear from Johnson’s story. Johnson has edited his blog post numerous times.

In my blog posts, I tried to deliver reasonable analysis and commentary about Johnson’s article/blog post. The edits to the story, Johnson’s comments on Twitter and Debito.org, and Johnson’s refusal to disclose the full details of his visa status made me skeptical. I found it difficult to accept everything he wrote at face value. And I made my views about that rather clear.

I did not claim to know the full facts of Johnson’s case. So when I blogged about his article and his online comments, I did not try to present my commentary as the absolute truth about his situation. I commented on how the situation “appeared” and how things “seemed.”

Moreover, the two blog posts directed readers to Johnson’s own version of the story, as well as several outside sources, at which they could read various viewpoints on Johnson’s story.

I believe that the freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. And that human right extends to the internet. On this issue, I agree with the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s view of bloggers’ rights:

“Bloggers are entitled to free speech…..Internet bullies shouldn’t use copyright libel or other claims to chill your legitimate speech.”

Unfortunately, Christopher Johnson does not appear to share my belief of what constitutes free and legitimate speech.

Here is a copy of a threatening e-mail that Johnson sent to Japan Probe:

Tokyo-based freelance correspondent for the Washington Times, New York Times, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail Report on Business, CTV Canada, CBC Canada, DW-TV Berlin, France 24, Asia Times, Japan Times, CNNGO, CNN.com and others

Johnson’s threats are ridiculous. It is not cyber bullying or defamation when a blogger writes analysis and criticism of articles and public statements made by a public figure.

My response to the accusations Johnson makes in his threatening e-mail can be found below.

Claim 1: I took Twitter conversations “out of context” to slander Johnson

Answer: My observation was based on the entire Twitter conversation. I was not taking remarks out of context. Twitter conversations are not private. Both Johnson and Adelstein know this, as their profession quotes and republishes tweets all the time. Their conversation took place on a public forum and I was expressing my view of that conversation.

Johnson apparently does not want anybody else to get a look at the context of the conversation. He has deleted most of the tweets. (A couple survive as screencaps: Johnson compares himself to a rape victim / Johnson is more important than TokyoReporter )

Claim 2: There is “no evidence” to support my claim about “highly unlikely and possibly wrong parts of the article.”

Answer: It is not illegal to express a view about something being “unlikely” or “possibly wrong.” The content of my blog post corresponded with what other critics were already writing on other sites (Tepido.org, FG, Debito.org, and the Economist).

Claim 4: In fact, temperatures often reach minus 40 C in Alberta.

Answer: Pretty funny, coming from a person who accused me of taking information out of context. In Johnson’s original article, he complained about being expelled from Japan “onto a flight to Canada without much winter clothing for minus 40 temperatures in Alberta.” As I wrote in the post, temperatures that day in Alberta were not anywhere close to minus 40. And he had just arrived in Japan on a flight from Seoul, where it was actually colder than Alberta. (Johnson’s original statement sure sounds like an exaggeration to me, and I’ve visited Canada in winter too.)

Claim 5: The quotation about authorities having “acknowledged the receipt” of a work visa application was a fabrication.

Answer: The quotation is accurate. It is not a fabrication. I copy-pasted it directly from Johnson’s article. There is nothing wrong with commenting on what the passage seemed to say about his visa status.

The fact that he later edited the post and removed that passage does not mean that line never existed. The changes to Johnson’s blog post were well documented by several sources.

Perhaps Mr. Johnson has changed his story so many times that he has become unable to keep track of what he has and has not written. That’s Mr. Johnson’s problem.

Claim 6: To “support” my “malicious claims” I cited a defamatory comment by [personal info].

Answer: Johnson made some very strange comments on Debito.org about NHK and Serbian propaganda. The quote from FG Forums makes a humorous observation about public comments from a public figure.

Claim 7: Bringing up Johnson’s March 2011 report about having fled Tokyo “has no point or relevance, other than to tarnish my professional reputation.”

Answer: It is relevant because Johnson’s Narita article contained a passage emphasizing that he had not fled Japan after the disaster.

I believe the transcript is accurate. I am quoting Johnson’s own words. There is nothing unreasonable about remarking that news reports about people fleeing Tokyo encouraged other people to flee.

It is odd is that quoting him verbatim is “tarnishing” his professional reputation. Does he no longer stand behind his work?

Claim 8: The Japan Probe “articles make no attempt to balance your slanderous attacks against me with the facts of the case.”

Answer: I am under no obligation to include the information that Johnson insists I should have included in the posts. Johnson has a very odd idea of “the facts of the case,” since they mostly appear to be facts about entirely different incidents. And, as I have already mentioned, I directed readers to visit other sites to learn more about Johnson’s case.

Claim 9: Johnson is facing “slanderous attacks in the comments section of The Economist and other sites, including Japanprobe.”

Answer: Johnson doesn’t specify any comments. Generally, I support the idea of readers freely expressing their opinions about public figures, even if those opinions may be negative.

So, there you have it. The letter doesn’t appear to contain any other claims worth answering.

Should you be publishing this?

Johnson’s e-mail contained a header declaring that it was “confidential” and prohibiting “distribution, copying, disclosure or modification” of its contents. While such a header might be an effective scare tactic against some people, I know it to be invalid:

Question: Is a cease-and-desist letter confidential?

Answer: There is ordinarily no expectation of privacy or confidentiality in a letter sent to an adversary. Unless you have made a specific promise of confidentiality beforehand, such as in a protective agreement or NDA, a letter demanding confidentiality doesn’t bind you.

And so Johnson’s C & D letter has been published here and has been submitted to Chilling Effects’ database of C & D letters, where it will soon be archived.

Aside – Johnson thanks his critics?

Yesterday morning, Level3 wrote a comment on how Johnson’s critics had pointed out holes in the original Narita story. Johnson’s subsequent edits and deletions seemed to reflect this. It was almost as if Johnson had been altering his account to be more believable. Questionable sections suddenly disappeared and new details were miraculously discovered to fill holes in the story. Level3 wrote that “us evil stalkerz at tepido, and FG, and Japan Probe served as editors” for Johnson’s story.

Soon afterwards, Johnson wrote this on his Twitter account:

Note: This website is not located in Japan.

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Tokyo Gate Bridge

The Tokyo Gate Bridge will open to traffic next week. To celebrate the opening of a new Tokyo landmark, a special running event was held there yesterday.

Here’s a video of about 5,500 runners crossing the bridge:

Some specs:

The bridge, which links Wakasu district in Koto Ward with the central breakwater, features a unique shape, which resembles two dinosaurs facing each other.

Located at a height of 87.8 meters, it is 2,618 meters long, of which 1,618 meters are above the sea. It is longer than the 798-meter Rainbow Bridge, also in Tokyo Bay, the 860-meter Yokohama Bay Bridge and the 1,020-meter Tsurumi Tsubasa Bridge, also in Yokohama.

And its purpose:

The road is expected to serve as a bypass for Tokyo Wangan Doro (Tokyo Bay coast road), a main transportation artery, which is often jammed with vehicles.

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UN: Fukushima Radiation Health Effects Will Be Relatively Small / Not At All Comparable to Chernobyl

The Chairman of the UNSCEAR has announced that the health effects from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster will be relatively small because radiation was leaked into the sea instead of the air, and because evacuations of residents were carried out promptly:

The fact that some radioactive releases spread over the ocean instead of populated areas also contributed to limiting the consequences, said Wolfgang Weiss of the U.N. Scientific Committee on the effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).

“As far as the doses we have seen from the screening of the population … they are very low,” Weiss told Reuters. This was partly “due to the rapid evacuation and this worked very well.”

[...]

Asked whether he was optimistic that the overall health effects would be quite small, Weiss said: “If we find out that what we know now is representing the situation, then the answer would be yes … the health impact would be low.”

More information from the American Council on Science and Health:

(Weiss) remarked that the situation in Fukushima was not at all comparable to Chernobyl — the nuclear reactor whose specter has created unduly fearful expectations in many people.

ACSH’s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan remarked on the U.N.’s sound approach to its assessment. “When you’re looking for effect,” she says, “you look first at the high exposure groups to see if you can determine any impact. Not even right there, in Japan, have they discovered any kind of health impact from the wrecked plant.”

ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom is not surprised by UNSCEAR’s initial findings. He recently addressed the wildly disproportionate health fears of the American public following the nuclear plant damage in Japan. Much of that concern stems from an uninformed, outdated reaction to the entire concept of nuclear radiation, he says.

A few weeks ago, Dr. Bloom wrote a great piece addressing some fear-mongering pseudoscience: “Garbage In, Anti-Nuclear Propaganda Out: The 14,000 Death Fukushima Lie“

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Yoshi’s Blend: Coffee For Tohoku

A man brings coffee and a gramophone to Tohoku (video by Mackenzie Sheppard):

A short vignette of Yoshi Masuda–a coffee enthusiast who is sharing his passion for coffee with victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

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Castle Tintagel: Medieval Europe in Tokyo

Just stumbled upon Castle Tintagel, a business near Mejiro station in Tokyo that offers lessons in medieval European swordfighting. Here’s a YouTube video about it:

Ever wanted to be a medieval knight? To learn how to fight with sword and shield? To armor up and fight upon the field of honor? Or perhaps to learn how to dance, sew, and write like they did in medieval Europe? Then Castle Tintagel is the perfect place for you! We are Tokyo’s one and only medieval Western martial arts and cultural center. Here you can learn anything from 15th century German longsword to Renaissance dancing.

Event photos can be seen on their blog.

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