Dong Lu, a TV anchorperson, said on his Weibo Sunday that the reporter's narration style precipitated the error.
"CCTV news has a widely accepted template of putting the names of lower-level officials at the very end of a news piece," Dong said.
"During Saturday's live newscast, the director heard the words 'Qian Yunlu, vice chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, also participated in the meeting' and assumed it was the end of the report," he added.
By late Sunday, 7,476 of some 7,900 netizens suggested on Sina Weibo that everyone makes mistakes. Some 300 people said a technical fault is not acceptable.
Chen Shaofeng, deputy dean of the Institute for Cultural Industries at Peking University, told the Global Times for most Chinese people, Xinwen Lianbo is like the central government's spokesperson, and should be mistake-proof, which is why so many were surprised to see the error.
"During Xinwen Lianbo's live broadcast, not every mistake can be avoided and it makes the show seem more newsy," said Chen.
Xinwen Lianbo has been staple on Chinese television since 1978. Prior to 1996 it was prerecorded.
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