China asks for ‘positive' reporting on food safety

China asks for ‘positive' reporting on food safety

By Geoff Dyer and Mure Dickie in Beijing

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

China's top food and drug regulator has said media reporting of product safety problems in China should be encouraged but journalists' coverage must maintain a “positive” perspective. Shao Mingli, commissioner of the State Food and Drug Administration, said reporting on safety issues could help prevent future problems. However, in an interview with the Financial Times, he stopped well short of suggesting the media should have complete freedom to tackle scandals. “As long as they take a positive attitude and are accurate, I think the media should play a full role and should not be restricted,” said Mr Shao, whose predecessor at the SFDA was executed in June for corruption. Reporting, he added, must “be good for stable social and economic development”.

Mr Shao's comments highlight the potential contradictions between government attempts to allow the media a wider watchdog role in an increasingly complex economy and preventing coverage that might undermine the ruling Communist party.

China's media restrictions have come in for heavy criticism as product recalls have created uncertainty about the safety of goods. Some foreign critics argue Beijing would find it easier to enforce safety rules if there were greater media freedom.

While the government has enlisted the help of international public relations agencies to deal with the crisis, many officials have blamed the foreign media for exaggerating problems and one local journalist has been jailed for allegedly faking a story about unsafe food.

Party censors can directly control coverage of sensitive issues by newspapers and TV stations, which journalists say helps prevent coverage of scandals that might threaten business interests.

Mr Shao said “reports of important issues will to some extent avoid the occurrence of some events”. But he added: “Practical analysis of potential cases is different from personal judgments.” He said his administration had moved to improve its transparency by holding press conferences.

中国要求“正面”报道食品安全

英国《金融时报》杰夫•代尔(Geoff Dyer)、王明(Mure Dickie)北京报道

2007年9月19日 星期三

中国国家食品药品监督管理局(SFDA)局长邵明立表示，应当鼓励有关中国产品安全问题方面的媒体报道，但记者的报道必须从“正面”角度出发。中国国家食品药品监督管理局是中国最高食品和药品监督机构。 邵明立称，安全问题方面的报道可能有助于防患于未然。不过，在接受英国《金融时报》的采访时，他远远没有达到建议媒体在报道丑闻时应拥有完全自由的程度。 邵明立表示：“只要媒体能以善意的态度准确报道，我认为媒体应充分发挥作用，不应受到限制。”邵明立的前任药监局局长因贪污在6月份被执行死刑。他补充称，报道必须“有助于社会和经济的稳定发展”。

邵明立的这番话突显了这样一种潜在的矛盾：即一方面，政府尝试在一个日益复杂的经济中，赋予媒体更广泛的监督角色；而另一方面，要防止可能动摇共产党统治的报道。

随着一些产品召回事件引发了对产品安全的质疑，中国对媒体的限制遭到了猛烈抨击。一些外国批评人士称，如果媒体拥有更大的自由度，中国政府在（产品）安全方面的规章将更易于实施。

中国政府已延聘国际公关公司帮助处理危机，很多官员指责外国媒体夸大问题，还有一位当地记者因涉嫌编造有关不安全食品的假新闻而入狱。

中国共产党的审查机构可以直接控制报纸和电视台有关敏感问题的报道，对此，一些记者表示，这起到了阻挠对丑闻报道的作用，此类报道可能威及商业利益。

邵明立表示：“在某种程度上，对重要问题的报道将避免一些事件的发生。”但他补充称：“实事求是地分析潜在案例不同于个人判断。”他表示，为了提高透明度，药监局已建立了新闻发布会制度。

译者/李碧波

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