Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen needled at the integrity of a reporter of Chinese descent for publishing an investigative article a month ago on his company, Pillen Family Farms, claiming “the author is from Communist China.”
The governor didn't call her out by name but the reporter, Yanqi Xu, works for the independent nonprofit news organization Flatwater Free Press.
She shot back against the comments, claiming that they were unfounded.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
“I found it disheartening that it was the only thing he said,” Xu told WOWT. "I had hoped the governor would respond and that could help tell the full story in a way.
“But I was not expecting him to only address one thing: where I’m from.”
Her Sept. 7 story titled: "Pillen’s Water: High nitrate detected on hog farms owned by Nebraska’s governor", explored the environmental impact of Pillen's company; specifically finding that 16 Pillen hog farms recorded perilous nitrate levels higher than 50 parts per million – five times higher than the safety limit.
Days later, Pillen called into KFAB radio during a trade mission to South Korea and Japan -- and praised the Cornhusker state's immigrant support.
"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,” he said.
Then when the governor was pressed to respond to Xu's article, he claimed he hadn't read it nor was he going to.
“Number one, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” Pillen explained. “Number two, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?”
Xu grew up in China but attended college in the U.S., earning her master's in journalism at the University of Missouri, according to WOWT.
In a column coming to her defense, Matt Wynn, executive director the Nebraska Journalism Trust (which launched the Flatware Free Press) wrote: "This, she said, is the first time anyone has written her off based on her origin. And it was broadcast, over the air, by the governor of Nebraska."
He continued: “As an employer, that infuriates me. As a believer in democracy and a free press, it saddens me. As a Nebraskan, it embarrasses me.”
Xu told NBC News she hopes the "bias" she suffered will help raise awareness and help others rethink their assumptions.
She said: “I think it’s also super important for other Chinese Americans or other Chinese immigrants to understand that our newsroom thinks it’s not right for the governor to say something like this."
