Chinese Official Sorry for Phony Dumpling Story

China's top propaganda official has apologized for a TV exposé on cardboard-filled dumplings after it turned out to be full of hot air, the Times reports. A reporter was detained for the fake July segment that showed dumpling vendors replacing meat with cardboard soaked in caustic soda and pork flavoring.

The hoax comes in the wake of a series of scandals that have tainted China's reputation as a consumer goods—and particularly a food—exporter. The dumpling spoof prompted the Politburo to purge the media; the propaganda chief and his colleagues may also face "re-education classes" if their written apologies aren't deemed sufficient. (More China stories.)