Media as Gatekeepers? - 媒體把關？

An acquaintance of mine in China told me that her friend was in a minor discomfort because he failed to detect a false advertisement in the newspaper he was asked to read, in order to stem out unacceptable contents.

This story amazed me. Protecting consumers is important but it is quite unfortunate that Chinese society and government lay the burden on the already jittery media's shoulders. Media should not shoulder this burden. It is as impractical as unfair. It is the entities who buy the advertisements should be held responsible, like what we have in the US.

我的一個在中國的熟人告訴我，她的朋友有一個輕微不愉快。一份他應邀閱讀，以遏止不可接受的內容的報紙上，出現一個可能的虛假廣告，而他未能及時察覺。

這個故事令我驚訝。保護消費者很重要，但很不幸的是，中國社會和政府的把負擔壓在本已緊張的媒體的肩上。媒體不應該承擔這個責任--這既不切實際又不公平。應該是廣告購買者負責，像在美國這樣。


Division © Matthew Felix Sun