'Coverage can affect judgment'

A senior judge from the top court on Wednesday warned of possible interference in the independent court's judgment from public sentiment affected by misleading or biased media coverage.

"Media coverage can help the court system to hear better from the public and avoid injustice, but media hype and misleading reports may sometimes interfere with judicial credibility," said Shen Deyong, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court.

Shen said the courts should have the courage to eliminate all improper interference from the media, and always insist on principles to carry out independent judgments based on facts and in accordance with laws, to ensure that the cases are dealt with in a fair and objective way.

He made the remarks on Wednesday during a conference with his counterparts from Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

"Although facing a severe test and pressure under the influence of modern media, the courts will continue to deepen judicial openness and transparency, and try to improve trial quality," said Shen.

Shen suggested that to properly handle the relationship between justice and the media, "We must distinguish between media coverage and interference, and we can't simply consider observation by the media to be disturbing the independence of a trial."

The Supreme People's Court on April 20 rejected the death sentence of millionaire Wu Ying amid wide exposure to media attention. Wu was convicted of illegally fundraising as much as 770 million yuan (US$122 million) for investment.

While upholding the conviction and legitimacy of previous judicial proceedings, the court declined to approve the sentence and referred the case back to the high court in Zhejiang Province.

Wu was sentenced to death in 2009 by the local court in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, for illegally raising the funds, more than half of which she lost in failed investments.

Wu's case attracted attention from domestic and international media, which complained about the inadequacy of the nation's monopolistic financial system and difficulties facing private businesses in fundraising.

The top court made the final verdict to reject her death sentence at a time of wide media coverage and pressure. The court made a judicial attachment of nearly 1,000 words to explain reasons for its decision.

Shen said the media should try to grasp the need for balance between public expectation and the judicial trial.