It's in China, but as all "shocking" news go, the original story depends on where you look, because anti-China sources (like Falungong) will tell a different story. There's a question on Zhihu discussing what the actual case behind this photo was: https://www.zhihu.com/question/35185664. Also, this was during a period of "严打"(crackdown on crimes, severe punishment etc.) in the 90s.
Not sure how rampant fake news is in other non-English speaking countries, but the Chinese Internet is riddled with sensational stories that are hard for individuals to verify, but easily forwarded to friends and family.
Now with ChatGPT/Deepfake and the like more readily available, the situation will be even worse. To combat this kind of disinformation, an actual "Ministry of Truth" will be required, based on a database of verified information and using logic to verify new stories and claims. Things like Wikipedia or Baidu百科 won't cut it.
To combat this kind of disinformation, an actual “Ministry of Truth” will be required
if this ever happens, liberals are gonna point at it and froth, "see! see! i told you china was le authoritarian redfash 1984 where people can't say shit and the government forces their views down the poor innocent civilian's throats!"
