Obscure adage of the month

This column in Editor & Publisher about Vietnamese newspapers features this remarkable passage (low in article):

"Which is your favorite?" I asked. He held up a paper with a name -- printed in reverse on green spot color -- that was the same as the nearby city, Can Tho. He could have been an American talking about his hometown paper for a Readership Institute survey: "I like it because it has the local news of Can Tho. I like the local news."

"Is it the most accurate of the three papers?" I asked. He giggled, as Vietnamese will when they're a little nervous, and cast a sidelong glance at two other English-speaking employees hovering nearby. Still, he answered clearly: "You can't believe what you read in any newspaper in Vietnam." He giggled even louder and added, "They print what they are told to print."

"But what about Nam Cam? Isn't that an example of more truth getting in the paper?" I asked.

I'm not sure if his guffaw reflected especially high anxiety or was simply cynical laughter at such a question. If Nam Cam is in the newspaper, he said, it's because there is some struggle among the elites. It was like the old saying throughout Asia: The monkey is being whipped to scare the chickens.

Ah, yes, the old saying. Whip the monkey to scare the chickens. I see.... (nod sagely)