Public question on media reports lack of coverage on abduction, rape
The story of a female teacher kidnapped and raped in North China's Hebei Province but described by local media as a role model in 2006 has sparked controversy for giving scant coverage of her plight.
Gao Yanmin has been teaching in Hebei's mountainous Xia'an village after she was kidnapped in 1994 from a train station in Shijiazhuang, Hebei when she was 18 years old and sold for 2,700 yuan ($434) to a village shepherd.
Gao was awarded by local newspaper Yanzhao Metropolis Daily in 2006 as a role model. Follow-up reports of other media outlets at that time also praised her devotion, but the story has attracted growing criticism from public for neglecting her ordeal, after the old story was reposted by a commentary of a public account on WeChat entitled "A nation's shame: abducted woman praised as the most beautiful teacher."
"The original report failed to mention anything about the insufficient efforts from government and gender inequality. Nor did it discuss the reason behind the poor education in rural areas and measures to improve it,'" read the commentary released on WeChat on Tuesday.
The report praised Gao's great personality and nobility, the article added.
Gao's story was also adapted into a film, The Story of an Abducted Woman, released in 2009. The film also portrayed Gao as a devoted teacher.
Armed with a junior high school diploma, Gao began to teach at a village primary school in 2000. "About 10 out of 30 abducted women have escaped over the years and I also wanted to, but my heart was attached to the children who needed education," said Gao in 2006.
While media reports at that time focused on the spirit of rendering good after her abduction, more netizens now began to question whether such a "devotion" should be praised, reported news site thepaper.cn.
Media reports are selective, and very often ignore or limit negative information when reporting positive stories, Yu Guoming, deputy dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.
Gao told Nandu Daily Wednesday that she was not aware of the public concerns.
"The best way to honor Gao's sacrifice and love is to find out what caused her misfortune, including shortcomings in society," added Yu.
Chen Shiqu, an officer at the Ministry of Public Security, wrote on his Weibo account Wednesday that abductors should be severely punished and buyers should be held responsible.
The online reaction shows people are now more conscious of their rights, and the Internet has played a important role, said Li Yinhe, a sociologist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
