Journalists trying to investigate graft are in a precarious position, writes Clifford Coonanin Beijing
THE SECURITY tapes paint a scary picture - Chinese investigative reporter Guan Jian walking through a hotel lobby at 6pm before he is surrounded by a group of five men and hustled into a shiny silver SUV.
The footage, from December 1st, is the last known sighting of Guan, who writes for the Wangluo Bao newspaper.
He was investigating corruption claims in a potentially dodgy property deal in Taiyuan, in the northern province of Shanxi, the Beijing News reported.
There may have been illegal land use by a real estate company with official connections.
The newspaper said he had not contacted his family since the footage was taken and local police had set up a task force.
In a separate case, Li Min (30), a prominent legal affairs journalist for state broadcaster CCTV, was arrested by four police officers, also from Shanxi province, at her home in Beijing.
The prosecutors entered her apartment saying they had come to fix a gas leak and then arrested Li, claiming she took bribes during her investigation of a property scandal.
Both cases highlight the precarious situation Chinese journalists find themselves in when trying to report on corruption.
Even though the official line from central government has shifted to allow greater press freedom on reporting graft, local cadres can still wield powerful influence.
Although it happened three days earlier, the case of Guan has only come to prominence now, while there has been some reporting of Li's case in local media in the past few days.
Li had been investigating the prosecutors for a story about abuse of authority.
Two of the businessmen involved, Wu Xiaohui and Hao Jianxiu, are powerful Communist Party officials, both engaged in a property dispute.
The fact that prosecutors were able to detain Li, despite the fact she comes from Beijing, suggests that powerful political connections have been brought into play.
The case is complicated slightly by the fact that local media is reporting that Li and one of the businessmen, Wu, are romantically involved.
According to blog entries, Chinese journalists are under strict instructions not to report or "sensationalise" the cases, but the consensus is that the reporters are being targeted for investigating corruption in Shanxi, a coal-mining area with a poor record on transparency.
The Sohu website quoted a local reporter saying Li was "a celebrity within their small circle. She is nice and generous, and she often pays the bill for meals."