Voices
'Brother Sharp' had private life exposed online
By Zhao Yanrong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-19 08:12
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We have all seen the power of the "cyber manhunt", and how dramatically people's lives can be changed when they are caught in the media spotlight.
It sometimes seems as if everyone here is virtually stalking someone. But while it might be argued that most of the people involved are public figures who have put themselves in this position either through choice or actions, there are also unwilling and blameless victims who are thrust before the public gaze through no fault of their own.
The drama of "Brother Sharp" is such a case, and I want to say making news and satisfying our voyeuristic needs should not violate someone's rights and privacy.
When a photograph of Cheng Guorong, who was described as the most "good-looking beggar in the universe", was first posted on the Internet, millions of Chinese netizens started following him for what was described as his "sharp dress sense". Of course, his appearance on the Internet soon made him a target for newsmakers, and his face was soon to be seen everywhere, in newspapers, on TV and the Web.
He was compared to a famous Korean actor, and his image was analyzed in close detail: his face, the expression in his eyes, his clothes, and his way of walking.
When reporters said they wanted to help Cheng find his family, they brought their cameras and followed him. Suddenly, Cheng's life was totally exposed to the public eye. And the reports induced many citizens to search for him on the streets.
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?
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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.
