Many Western audiences are familiar with Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi thanks to her roles in the box office hit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the Golden Globe-nominated "House of Flying Daggers."

Most of them should, I believe, also be aware of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who lived more than 2,500 years ago.

Apart from the fact that they are both "world-class celebrities," do they have any other qualities that merit comparison?

Peking University Professor Zhang Yiwu was recently quoted in the media as saying that Zhang Ziyi is greater than Confucius.

The report sparked a public outcry and thousands of articles were posted on the Internet condemning Professor Zhang for making such a statement. Some people thought it was an insult to Chinese culture, in which Confucianism is an important component.

Professor Zhang then received countless calls from the media, asking him to elaborate his viewpoint. The media inquiries became so intense that he had to post an article on his blog, saying that the report had intentionally distorted his views in a bid to attract readers.

Confucius represents China's elite culture, while Zhang Ziyi represents popular culture, according to the professor, and the international recognition of actress Zhang Ziyi helps raise China's profile, with foreigners then possibly taking an interest in aspects of China's elite culture such as Confucianism.

"No reasonably intelligent person could claim that Confucius is inferior to Zhang Ziyi," said Professor Zhang, calling the report a "farce."

This is just the latest example of how far some reporters go to attract public attention.

Some arbitrarily distort interviewees' opinions or fabricate information to make their stories "exclusive and attractive."

Professor Zhang said that he was at a disadvantage compared with the media.

But I think that the professor is still very lucky. At least his voice could be heard because he is a well-known scholar.

What chance do most ordinary people have of redress if their views are misrepresented?

In China, the media still enjoys a good reputation. This is thanks to the efforts of thousands of reporters who have shown courage in exposing wrongdoing and battling for social justice.

But cases like the above will inevitably tarnish the media's reputation.

China's media industry has witnessed rapid development in recent years. Official statistics show that China currently has 1,900 newspapers, with more than 40 billion copies distributed every year.

The introduction of market forces to the media industry has increased competition in this sector, forcing it to seek revenue to support its development. This intensified competition could be cited as an important reason for the media's desire to seek out exclusive and sensational stories, something that leads to the appearance of fake or fabricated news.

But market competition should not become an excuse for the reporting of stodgy or even fake news. Authenticity is the very lifeblood of journalism, while telling the truth is a basic tenet of journalistic ethics.

If such violations of journalistic ethics were commonplace, this would spell disaster for the media.

Another recent case in China suggests that the violation of journalistic ethics, if not swiftly dealt with, could lead to crime.

The General Administration of Press and Publication, the country's media regulator, said that four journalists from local offices of four Chinese national newspapers had been arrested for alleged extortion.

The four reporters were accused of seeking money by threatening to publish negative stories about companies or individuals, or promising favourable reports.

The cases show that the four reporters had abandoned journalistic ethics and taken up a life of crime.

These reporters should undoubtedly be punished for their misbehaviour. But what this case also highlights is the need for much more ethical education.

The rapid development of the media calls for the employment of greater numbers of journalists.

However, many new journalists show much more interest in learning journalistic skills than learning anything about ethics.

How to conduct successful interviews and produce a well-written story is very important for a reporter. But apart from this, what else should they learn?

Sometimes ethics seems too abstract for reporters and editors. Editors may be more interested in what kind of stories they can get rather than how to the story is obtained.

The lack of ethical education could make people numb to "minor problems" related to ethics, such as unreliable information and stories written for personal gain.

But if these minor problems fail to be corrected on time, they could lead to bigger things.

As far as the four arrested reporters are concerned, I believe that it is not the first time they have behaved in such a way.

Being honest and fair is the basic rule of journalism, while deliberate distortion and favourable reporting for personal gain is impermissible in any news organization.

As journalists are in a position to tell the public what is happening, they actually possess a certain amount of "soft power," which should be exercised to conduct supervision and defend social justice.

But, by abusing such power, all those reporters do is feather their own nests and spawn corruption.

(China Daily 05/25/2006 page4)