Relief for public but tragedy for one elderly woman
Source: Xinhua |
August 16, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AN elderly woman hides her face behind a fan, her hands trembling on hearing that her son has died.
While the public released a collective sigh of relief at the death of a serial killer, there were reports of the killer's family under siege by the media.
Zhou Kehua, wanted in connection with the deaths of 10 people since 2004, was gunned down by police in southwestern Chongqing on Tuesday morning.
A manhunt began last Friday after city police published Zhou's identity, and reporters rushed to Ertang Village in Chongqing to cover the story of the cold-blooded killer.
An online report described a journalist from a Shaanxi-based newspaper cornering Zhou's mother and asking questions such as whether Zhou had sent his money home.
A photograph with the report showed the mother hiding her face behind a fan. The reporter told her of her son's death and "she was dumbfounded for 20 seconds and her hand holding the fan trembled," the report said.
Immediate reaction
The report on Sina Weibo was met with a wave of negative responses, with many bloggers criticizing the "relentless and inhumane" journalist.
"A heinous criminal is still a loved son of his mother. Please stop torturing the old woman," Xing Hainiao, a Beijing publisher, said.
Other suspected that reporters were determined to shock the mother with the news to capture her immediate reaction.
Zhou was shot dead by police in the city's Shapingba district after he opened fire on plainclothes police officers who were following him.
Chongqing police had earlier launched a massive manhunt, saying Zhou was "highly dangerous."
They said he targeted people withdrawing money from banks and had killed 10 people in several Chinese cities since his first theft in 2004.
His final victim was a Chongqing police officer who had tried to stop him for questioning on Friday. Minutes earlier, Zhou had shot dead a woman outside a bank.
After Zhou's death, the Internet was awash with pictures showing him lying in a pool of blood along with stories of how a smart rural child who loved detective stories had ended up a serial killer.
Liu Xiaocheng, who teaches journalism at Lanzhou University, said the flurry of reports based on interviews with his family could be justified as they could prompt society to discuss the cause of the tragedy.
But Liu said practices such as the questioning of Zhou's mother and the photograph showing her hiding her face should be avoided as they violated the basic morals and principles of journalism.
"The media should reflect on the appropriateness of their reports. Whether they were made excessively sensational and lurid, while neglecting the discussions on the social causes behind Zhou's case," Liu said.
While the public released a collective sigh of relief at the death of a serial killer, there were reports of the killer's family under siege by the media.
Zhou Kehua, wanted in connection with the deaths of 10 people since 2004, was gunned down by police in southwestern Chongqing on Tuesday morning.
A manhunt began last Friday after city police published Zhou's identity, and reporters rushed to Ertang Village in Chongqing to cover the story of the cold-blooded killer.
An online report described a journalist from a Shaanxi-based newspaper cornering Zhou's mother and asking questions such as whether Zhou had sent his money home.
A photograph with the report showed the mother hiding her face behind a fan. The reporter told her of her son's death and "she was dumbfounded for 20 seconds and her hand holding the fan trembled," the report said.
Immediate reaction
The report on Sina Weibo was met with a wave of negative responses, with many bloggers criticizing the "relentless and inhumane" journalist.
"A heinous criminal is still a loved son of his mother. Please stop torturing the old woman," Xing Hainiao, a Beijing publisher, said.
Other suspected that reporters were determined to shock the mother with the news to capture her immediate reaction.
Zhou was shot dead by police in the city's Shapingba district after he opened fire on plainclothes police officers who were following him.
Chongqing police had earlier launched a massive manhunt, saying Zhou was "highly dangerous."
They said he targeted people withdrawing money from banks and had killed 10 people in several Chinese cities since his first theft in 2004.
His final victim was a Chongqing police officer who had tried to stop him for questioning on Friday. Minutes earlier, Zhou had shot dead a woman outside a bank.
After Zhou's death, the Internet was awash with pictures showing him lying in a pool of blood along with stories of how a smart rural child who loved detective stories had ended up a serial killer.
Liu Xiaocheng, who teaches journalism at Lanzhou University, said the flurry of reports based on interviews with his family could be justified as they could prompt society to discuss the cause of the tragedy.
But Liu said practices such as the questioning of Zhou's mother and the photograph showing her hiding her face should be avoided as they violated the basic morals and principles of journalism.
"The media should reflect on the appropriateness of their reports. Whether they were made excessively sensational and lurid, while neglecting the discussions on the social causes behind Zhou's case," Liu said.
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