Unfair to accuse elderly of blackmail

SEVERAL DOMESTIC media outlets recently criticized an elderly Chinese tourist for "pretending" to be hit by the car of a Japanese restaurant and asking for 100,000 Japanese yen ($833) as compensation in late August. However, a few days ago it was proved the tourist had been hit by the car while taking pictures and was sent to hospital. Comments:

Some media outlets tend to be more interested in peddling bad news about Chinese tourists. Certain domestic media outlets even used words such as "blackmail" in order to sensationalize the news, and many Chinese willingly believed the fabricated story about their compatriot blackmailing foreigners. What is needed is to rebuild social trust so that we no longer presume each other to be evil.

Beijing News, Oct 6