Beijing video journalist Sam MacNeil and video editor Olivia Zhang partnered with Washington-based medical writer Lauren Neergard to reveal that in the global race to find a COVID-19 vaccine, a state-owned Chinese company claimed it gave experimental shots to top pharma executives and employees, raising ethical concerns. The company, SinoPharm, identified seven employees by name and title with their photos in an online promotional display reading: “Giving a helping hand in forging the sword of victory.”
The all-formats coverage examining the ethics of researchers testing vaccines and remedies on themselves was truly global, with contributions from AP journalists in China, the U.S., Indonesia and Russia. The story appeared on more than 500 online sites, and the package received more than 100,000 page views on AP News.
AP: Chinese company claims it tested vaccine on employees
A 2020 online post by state-owned Chinese company SinoPharm shows employees that it says received a trial COVID-19 vaccine, accompanied by the words “Giving a helping hand in forging the sword of victory.” The company is boasting that it gave its employees, including top executives, experimental shots even before the government approved human testing.
AP Photo / Ng Han Guan