Super girl Jane Zhang sues newspaper

Super girl Zhang Liangying (Jane Zhang) has filed a lawsuit against a Shanghai newspaper, claiming that a report, which accused her of putting on airs while attending a performance in Shanghai, has tarnished her reputation. 　

Zhang, who won third prize in television's Super Girl competition last year and is known for her high-pitch dolphin-sounding voice, submitted the plea to the Jing'an District People's Court on Monday. The court accepted the lawsuit based on the General Principles of Civil Law, which says reputation rights of a citizen are protected. 　　

Zhang is seeking 1 million yuan (US$125,000) in compensation for mental anguish and a written apology from the Oriental Morning Post. 　

Zhang said the newspaper published a report on the tantrums of film stars and pop singers on July 8. 　

The story written by Li Yi said when Zhang attended the performance of a musical drama "Song of Light and Shadow" in the city she demanded a presidential suite for herself and a standard room for each of her four assistants. 　　

The report also said because Zhang's request wasn't conceded she called room service repeatedly but only had a few bites of the food. 　　

Zhang claimed the report was a fabrication. 　　

"Since the report was carried by many other newspapers and Websites, many readers thought I liked to put on airs. This has caused me much mental strain and also hurt the feelings of my fans," Zhang said in the lawsuit. 　

The Oriental Morning Post, in a published statement yesterday, stood by its reporter, who also published a statement, and said the report wasn't aimed at any individual. The newspaper also said it hadn't received any notice from the court yet. 　　

Though China doesn't have a libel law, local courts fully consider the role of public figures and judge whether a news report is a fact or not. 　　

"The key point is that the report should speak about facts and should be related to his or her public roles," said Liu Yanhao, a judge of the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court who tried a similar lawsuit filed by Stanley Tong, a famous Hong Kong film director.