Mud-slinging is not decent journalism

The death of 39 people whose bodies were found in the back of a lorry in Essex, Britain, last week was shocking. No matter which country these people are from, the way they were crammed into a refrigerated container to be smuggled into Britain was horrendous.

We feel sorry for the dead wherever they are from, and condemn those who put them into such a risky condition without ever taking into consideration their safety.

What is worrisome in this case is how the facts about where these people are from were verified by both the local police and the media. Not long after the bodies were found, there were reports that they were Chinese nationals. How did the local police know they were Chinese?