For those who have followed the news recently in Singapore would have known the tragic outcome of a little girl named Huang Na. The streetsmart 9-year old girl had hit the headlines some weeks ago when she went missing in a market area near her home. Her mysterious disappearance attracted help from all over the island when news was released. Locals formed small groups of their own to scour the island and her favourite haunts to find her. It was an event that united the nation and warmed hearts. It was shortly after a Malaysian suspect was arrested by the authorities, they found her dead body contorted into a cardboard box on a hillslope.
Her distraught mother who worked at the market place while studying part time, had returned to China for a short while only to find her only daughter missing when she came back. She had placed high hopes of seeing her daughter again with the endearing help and support from strangers. However when news of her death broke out, her mother was on the verge of a breakdown and many hearts around the island were shattered. For such a little girl so well-loved by the public to be found dead in such an unglorious manner is indeed a tragic incident.
Despite this being a sad time and mourning period, some journalists like a pack of hyenas scavenged on the news and repeatedly hounded the distraught family. Though the funeral was open to anyone who wished to pay their respects, journalists have almost turned the sombre event into a show with their incessant camera flashing and unfeeling questioning. While it is their jobs to report the news, there is no need for them to show distastefully taken scenes of the proceedings of the funeral on television and in the papers. It is good enough for me to know that she is dead. Furthermore following Chinese traditions, it is both disrespectful and inauspicious to show such images.
It is disastrous enough to learn of your child's death but to have journalists keep rubbing it in is no wonder why Huang Na's mother had nearly been driven to suicide. It is evident from the news the way journalists asked untimely questions like "Do you think the suspect deserves the death sentence?" amidst her tears during the funeral. Even psychologists have written in to urge people to let them mourn in peace and not agitate them during this moment of high emotions. The media should learn to take responsibility and not to overstep certain ethical boundaries. People have no qualms about reporting news only if it is done tastefully.
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