Eventually, Cheng could no longer stand the attention. But thanks to the cameras, millions of people witnessed the tears of this 34-year-old man who was struggling with some mental troubles. But even his tears could not stop the media. Did the reporters realize that they were the reason he cried?
Soon, the cameras found a new target: a lady in her 50s who said Cheng was her son.
The subsequent reports recorded each movement of the family. When the mother was crying in front of the media, I wondered whether the cameramen had asked her if they could film her.
The woman from a small village in Jiangxi province might not even know that she has the right to say "no" to these strangers.
However, after Cheng had spruced himself up and returned to his hometown, the audience, fickle as ever, said: "He is not so handsome as he used to be." And as the audience lost interest, predictably there were fewer and fewer reports on him.
Even after Cheng's family background was revealed by the media, the reports still referred to him as "Brother Sharp". I wonder how many people could remember his real name "Cheng Guorong" rather than the sobriquet created by the newsmakers?
Many times, I've been wondering what would have happened if Cheng's family said no to the cameras.
Viewing figures are the name-of-the-game for mass media, but that should not include presenting the problems of a troubled man's life as a soap opera or Hollywood-style drama.
No ordinary person should have to be sacrificed on the altar of entertainment. Audiences' interests are important to the media industry, but they should not dictate the direction of news making, if that direction is wrong.
(Source: China Daily)
