A Guangzhou-based newspaper has issued an apology after calling for the release of journalist Chen Yongzhou. Chen Yongzhou was arrested earlier this month based on suspicions that he was “fabricating facts” in relation to a series of articles he wrote on “financial problems” at Zoomilon, a heavy equipment manufacturer. According to police, Chen’s reports caused the company to experience substantial losses.

Following Chen’s public confession, which many argue was coerced, the paper wrote that calling for Chen’s release “seriously damaged the credibility of the media.”