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Newsmen must feel free to report something. Meanwhile, they should keep silent when necessary. They should pay attention to strengthening their consciousness of self-discipline and mind never to curry favor with the public.
Nowadays some people seem to be increasingly keen on news manipulation. Recently an insignificant female singer in Sichuan held a ceremony celebrating the first publication of her book. At the ceremony she announced in a seemingly serious way that a celebrated movie star once bargained with her for sexual intercourse as a condition for his attendance on the occasion. The movie star subsequently clarified the truth of the so-called sexual harassment through media, retorting the singer's one-sided story. Later the singer denied having mentioned the sexual deal and criticized the media for a framing-up story instead.
It's a sheer farce in which the singer intended to manoeuvre the public through the press.
As a matter of fact, similar news manipulation is anything but rare, such as the exaggeration of the so-called "queen of genes" returning to the motherland together with the genome database, the close attention to feats & misdeeds about a "hero of flying over the Yellow River" and the praises lavished upon some "notorious cheats". All of them deserve serious rethinking for personages in the media circle.
People are now bogged in an opinion net woven by the media, in which they are involuntarily imbued with imperceptible influence. More often than not the masses feel a hegemonic odor, a "speechified hegemony" by the modern media.
Self-discipline is a professional requirement for news employees. Those who dwell lavishly upon the so-called backstage news about personal privacy or hacker after news manipulation and even concoct some sensational tidbits have actually misunderstood the news reporting. The conscientious media disdain to please the readers with claptrap. They always keep an estimable silence, adopting a stance of dignity and consciousness when facing up a situation of much noises and uproars.
Regretfully some media have by and by forgotten their respective roles and missions in the swing of the market economy, going exclusively after market news and oral economy. Now the news reporting is therefore faced up with an awkward position of being transformed into a sub-economic behavior.
As known to many people, the media is defined as the "witness of an age", which is actually the needs for the media to survive and develop. To overexpose people's particular privacy in life is as good as to asking for trouble. In this regard there are already numerous lessons to be drawn. Of course, some media serve as watchdog. But undeniably some others, due to lack of awareness in self-discipline have only to blame themselves for the loss of lawsuits.
In times replete with stirring restlessness fewer and fewer media can remain silent. But be sure to have it in mind whoever properly exercises the right of remaining silent will finally wins the favor and respect of the public. Why are some brand media highly respected by and very popular among the public? The reason is that they dare to speak out from a sense of justice while paying attention to keeping certain sort of silence when necessary.
Necessary silence is the embodiment of a sober awareness for self-discipline. In order to keep your intuitive knowledge and guard on your sanctity, "you have the right to remain silent, media."
(People's Daily July 16, 2003)
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