BEIJING - The world's media has focused on the disaster area in Sichuan province. The Chinese public is desperate for news about the devastation and the story has even eclipsed the Myanmar disaster to become the lead item on most international newscasts, including CCTV International. Well, sort of. Credible news organizations instinctively lead with the latest video from the disaster areas. Basic details like rising casualty figures, the latest status on rescue efforts and the scope of damage are the first things presented in most newscasts; not so at CCTV International. While the subject is of course, the earthquake, the lead story on Tuesday night was, well, not really a lead story at all. Instead, the state-run broadcaster chose as its lead item a minute-long copy story (that means no video) about a phone conversation between President Hu Jintao (yes, he leads the news again) and US President George W. Bush. Bush was calling to send his condolences to the earthquake victims and their families on behalf of the American people as well as to "provide all possible assistance to the disaster areas." Fair enough, but this is not, I repeat NOT, a lead story, especially when thousands are dead more are hurt or missing. But then, four sentences in to this uninspired item, the substance - and the focus of this story- take a bizarre turn. During this conversation, viewers are told Hu Jintao decided to bring up the "upcoming fourth China-US strategic dialogue". Awkward. That was followed by the usual blathering about China willing to "contribute to the development of bilateral ties." Then it gets worse. As tens of thousands of rescue workers scramble to find survivors in the disaster areas, and a nation waits for the latest details on the catastrophe, viewers are told that during the conversation with the US President, "Hu Jintao also reiterated China's stance on the Tibet issue", and that he hoped the US will take a fair stance and "address the issue properly". I would have given real money to see the bewildered look on Bush's face in the Oval office when the translation came down the phone line on that one.

From a news programming perspective, this is simply embarrassing. At best, the Bush-Hu conversation could have been tacked on after the latest information about the disaster was presented. Other unrelated issues which the two leaders apparently touched on could have been placed after all the earthquake coverage. It's another example of the disturbing sense of priorities that are consistently revealed by China's state-run broadcaster at the worst possible times. CCTV has again shown that real news stories, no matter their scope and importance, will always take a back seat to any opportunistic publicity the CCP leaders feel compelled to give themselves. Viewers in China deserve better. In the meantime, the Sichuan earthquake is not the only disaster playing out on China's state run-television.