[By Liu Rui/Global Times]

Cui Yongyuan, a well-known anchor with CCTV, has won tremendous popularity with his outspoken criticism of injustice and plea on behalf of ordinary citizens.

But he had a little trouble recently.

A few days ago, in an interview with reporters, he blasted China's exorbitant charges for cell phone services. As a member of the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, he took the words out of the mouths of the public, since the media has long been swamped with complaints of monopolistic companies ripping off users.

Unfortunately, however, he made a mistake when citing US mobile phone rates. He said the standard annual rate for a mobile phone was $9.90 (65.05 yuan) in the US.

Some netizens immediately pointed out his error. After some homework, a few came up with more reliable figures: Basic expenses for a mobile phone are between $190 and $790 a year, or around $30 per month on average.

After realizing his own mistake, the same night, Cui made an apology on his microblog for his "slip of the tongue." To show his sincerity, he reposted on his blog three times, repeating his apology.

He said, "Modern society needs responsible citizens. To tell the truth calls for not only courage, but, more importantly, knowledge and a professional attitude. Careless talking is nothing but playing to the gallery. Sorry, indeed!"

This is only a small episode, but I see some positive signs in it.

Cyberspace is a double-edged sword, and may do as much harm as good to communities and populace, thanks to its real-time and extensive transmission of information. The Internet and microblogging have become so pervasive in our life that many people rely on them for all the information they need. So, if they are not used judiciously, they may have a massive negative impact.

On such a popular platform, public figures must watch their tongues, careful not to say anything irresponsible. It's a plain truth that absolute freedom of speech, without consequences, exists nowhere. The latest example is the firing of John Galliano, 50-year-old chief designer of Dior, one of the world's top fashion houses.