A Nebraska news outlet called Gov. Jim Pillen “dead wrong” this week in his anti-Chinese attack on a reporter who investigated the governor’s family farm.
Flatwater Free Press reporter Yanqi Xu reported a story published last month headlined “Pillen’s Water: High nitrate detected on hog farms owned by Nebraska’s governor.”
The investigation found nitrate levels were far above the legal drinking water limit, with experts saying levels at one operation were so high “it should be a 911.”
Pillen was asked about the story during a interview with Omaha radio station KFAB a few days later.
“Number one, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” Pillen said. “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?”
In a column penned Tuesday, Nebraska Journalism Trust Executive Director Matt Wynn defended Xu’s reporting and called the governor “dead wrong.”
“Yanqi has been in the United States since 2017,” Wynn 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. As an employer, that infuriates me. As a believer in democracy and a free press, it saddens me. As a Nebraskan, it embarrasses me.”
The Nebraska Journalism Trust launched and funds the Flatwater Free Press, a nonprofit news outlet.
Xu, who is an immigrant from China, spoke out about the situation in a thread on X, formerly Twitter, and linked to Wynn’s column.
“Being a reporter, I never wanted to make myself the story. But this time, I thought there’s more at stake than myself. I think about the community I represent, and who might find the governor’s comment hurtful,” she wrote.
Xu told NBC News that she ultimately decided she had no choice, as she could “definitely see the bias” in Pillen’s remarks.
“I think it’s important to speak up and it can be really, really hard at first because in some ways, it made you the center of the story,” Xu said. “Especially as a woman of color, if the other person who made such a comment about you is the most powerful person in the state, how do you respond? But I think for me, I found myself coming back to this point of: If I don’t do it, who would?”
The Asian American Journalists Association released a statement Wednesday, supporting the reporter.
“Having an independent and diverse press corps is essential to democracy, and Xu, an investigative reporter who grew up in China, deserves to do her job without being judged because of her nationality,” the statement read.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, described Pillen’s comments as a “baseless xenophobic attack” and called on the governor to apologize to Xu and her outlet.
“Failing to do so only contributes to more hostility and suspicion of people from China and Asian Americans broadly,” Chu said.
Xu in her Twitter thread said she was “beyond grateful” for the outpouring of support.
“All this just reminds me of why I came into this field. And the 17-year-old me learning to strike up a convo with a stranger would agree — I would never feel alone. And thanks to everyone who’s reached out!”
Pillen’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.