Public shows prove nothing

If you do not know the city of Shijiazhuang, the infamous dairy company Sanlu Group will offer you some reference points. The city caught people's attention since its government withheld the tainted milk information for more than a month. Furthermore its Vice-Mayor Zhang Diankui drank a cup of milk in public recently, attempting to assure people of milk safety.

As someone who earns a living in the discipline of journalism - and who in the past saw several politicians make the same show, albeit drinking lake or river water - I am less impressed.

While people now rely on the media for more milk-related information, few are enthralled with the coverage of Zhang's reported show. In fact the public, especially parents with children affected by the tainted milk, resent his public performance.