People need to be media literate

Comment on "Avoid detailed reporting on violence" (China Daily, Dec 20)

There are reasons to call for avoiding reporting violent cases in detail. But I think it is more important to improve the public's media literacy. The entire society should see crime cases in the light of the public's right to know and respect life.

Nowadays, people are exposed to all kinds of mass media with a vast pool of information and, hence, they should be educated on how to review and judge them. For example, the "doomsday" rumors should have been regarded as fun if readers and viewers had judged the information properly.

The negative influence of reporting violence in gory details should not be neglected. While the media should fulfill its social and moral responsibilities, the public should become more media literate. Only in this way can we avoid the unnecessary tragedies and eventually establish a harmonious society.

Lola, via e-mail

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(China Daily 01/10/2013 page9)