In 2001, Ian Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Chinese Govern­ment’s brutal repression of Falun Gong after 10,000 of its practitioners had surrounded the Communist Party compound in Beijing in silent protest. Given the political sensitivity of the crackdown, it is not surprising that Johnson’s application for a Chinese visa in 2007 was refused. Lobbying by the American media, including Rupert Murdoch, head of News Corporation, persuaded the Chinese to change their minds. Johnson returned to the country where he had earned his spurs.