May 16 2008
China is focused on saving as many lives as possible
Published: May 16 2008 03:00 | Last updated: May 16 2008 03:00
From Dr Hai Xin.
Sir, I take issue with the tone and choice of topics in your coverage of the earthquake in Sichuan province, which has caused more than 10,000 deaths. Faced with such a horrific natural disaster, the country and its people have shown and continue to show resilience, sympathy and determination.
It is deeply troubling for me that in the immediate aftermath, you have devoted more space to criticising the shoddy state of some school buildings (report, May 14) and government media control (May 15) than reporting the scope of the tragedy and the unprecedented relief work. Your stories were widely reported in the Chinese media.
The issue of building standards for school buildings is already hotly debated on online media and we all hope (and will campaign hard) that it is one of the important lessons to be learned. And I will applaud you if in the days to come you continue to put pressure on the Chinese government to take action.
On the issue of media control, I am no fan of the media control in China but coverage of this disaster actually is turning into an unprecedented experiment of how public opinion, with the help of internet and mobile phones, is becoming a force to be reckoned with. Popular news websites in China are awash with stories, pictures and opinions generated by the viewing public.
Yes, there are still pictures of Premier Wen Jiabao, visiting victims, which may remind some people of the old propaganda. However, the implicit suggestion in a picture caption (May 15) that Chinese state media were in some way distorting coverage by seeking to show soldiers “leading from the front” is unfair. People’s Liberation Army soldiers are at the forefront of the rescue and relief effort and the whole country is grateful for their heroic effort.
Right now the whole country is mobilised to save as many lives as possible and to look after the sick and wounded and that is also the focus of the public opinion and the media.
Hai Xin,
International Finance Centre,
Hong Kong