False news for publicity harms media credibility

Using news reporting as profitable marketing means for personal gain will only harm the media's credibility in the end, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

Recently a dating website owner initiated a pseudo news report online that an 18-year-old girl would like to exchange her body for traveling expenses. As long as the man was willing to accompany her on her global travel and pay the bills, she would "satisfy his needs during the trip". Many online forums, social media users and news website portals circulated this sensational story.

A news website in Beijing posted another story one day later about two users of the aforementioned dating website who were discovered having sex in the cabin of an excavator, which proved to be another pseudo story fabricated by the website owner.