No headlines for celebrity drug users

Jaycee Chan and kung fu star Jackie Chan are among the country's best-known father-and-son celebrities. Photos provided to China Daily

Show business journalists have called for a halt on news about celebrities caught with narcotics, claiming the scandal-hit stars are benefiting from the media attention. Liu Zhihua reports.

A number of Chinese show business journalists have called for a temporary halt on the coverage of celebrities caught taking drugs, after a string of scandals rocked the nation.

The public appeal was posted on Chinese social media by journalists from media outlets from across the country after the police detained Jaycee Chan, 32, the actor son of kung fu superstar Jackie Chan, and Taiwan actor Kai Ko, 23, on Aug 14.

The posts urge media nationwide not to report the personal situations and work of any celebrities found with drugs for at least a year.

"We should not promote their work, or give them any opportunity to raise their status in the industry," said the statement from the anti-drug group.

In the past few months, a series of drug scandals have hit the headlines, involving A-listers and lesser-known celebrities, leading to overwhelming media coverage detailing their drug use and arrests.

Before Chan and Ko were caught, Beijing police announced the detention of Gao Hu, a 40-year-old actor who has played a number of supporting roles in many popular movies and TV dramas.

Previously, Zhang Mo, actor and the son of actor and director Zhang Guoli, made news headlines when police confirmed he was arrested for drug-taking. He was also arrested for using marijuana in 2012.

In June, Beijing police detained famous screenwriter and novelist Chen Wanning, whose pen name is Ning Caishen, for possession and use of methamphetamine, a stimulant, in an apartment in Beijing.

The detention list also includes director Zhang Yuan, singer Li Daimo and Hong Kong actor Roy Cheung.

There have been suggestions that the media circus surrounding the drug-taking celebrities has actually boosted their fame.

Some social media users have commented that they did not know who the offenders were before they were arrested. And some joked drug use is like a sex scandal and people who want to make headlines must take a chance.

But others have been alarmed by the tolerant attitude toward the celebrities from their loyal fans.

"I think they should not be scolded or punished, because they deserve to be forgiven at least once," a netizen with the user name "Zhu Sihan Xi Buxi" posted on Sina Weibo.

A female college student even took drugs before turning herself in to the police, in the hope she would meet Ko in prison, Chongqing TV reported.

Cao Kefan, a TV anchor with Shanghai Television, says media should reflect on the way they report celebrity drug use - and question their professionalism when they rush to make leading news out of these sorts of scandals, reported Shanghai Morning Post.

Media can be tolerant of celebrities who make mistakes, but should not condone such bad behavior. The public can forgive them, but should not encourage them to make mistakes, Cao says.