Never before has local print media called into question the professional code of ethics of online journalism. Leading mainstream newspapers have put themselves at odds with sensational news websites. As you flip through the pages of the recent issues of newspapers like Tuoi Tre, Lao Dong and Nguoi Lao Dong, you will find a lot of space reserved for carrying a series with multiple episodes about sensational online media.
The information age has led to a boom of local online media outlets in recent years as more and more people, particularly internet-savvy youth, get the news online. To compete for netizens’ attention, a growing army of online news sites have chosen to be sensational, instead of embracing the canons of journalism like accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability.
Most of the time exposure of bust and underwear, be it deliberate or otherwise, is becoming a salient topic on online tabloid newspapers. And celebrities and their family members, including children and teens, always fall prey to unethical journalists who scout every moment for what they see as a hit story.
In a Tuoi Tre article, author Cat Khue describes the matter as “a disaster from voyeurism”. Khue wonders whether online papers have got to the point where they have no sense of fear, loss or standard when they disseminate information to millions of netizens. Hot topics like long-legged hot girl, waist, thigh, butt and bust dominate the headlines in the culture and entertainment sections of online tabloids.
It is extremely easy to google jaw-dropping news headlines like “Unkempt Thuy Top exposes two-thirds of bust”, “Thanh Thuy exposes underwear backstage” and “Singer Doan Trang exposes underwear”. A news site which Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper says certain netizens dub as culturally ignorant, even reports on indeliberate underwear exposure by a small daughter of actor and model Truong Ngoc Anh. Nguoi Lao Dong advises people to try googling “Con gai Truong Ngoc Anh lo quan chip” to see how big the number of search results is, more than 27,000.
Author Cat Khue says in Tuoi Tre that online newspaper headlines are designed in a way that attracts as many viewers as possible. “News must be hot. After a concert or fashion show night, I always rack my brains to sort through all the photos filed by our photographer, choose some of them, and make headlines as catchy as possible. If models wear short skirts or too-low neck T-shirts, they will surely fall prey to me,” says a sub of an online paper. So photojournalists would seize any chance of getting close to places where fashion models and singers are present.
A member of social networking site webtretho.com is quoted by Tuoi Tre as saying bitterly, “When you see no online news about exposure of genitals on one morning, you know for sure that there is an Internet glitch preventing online papers from updating their sites.”
In an article contributed to Tuoi Tre, lawyer Huynh Van Nong describes those sensational pieces of news as ad revenue- and viewership-boosting celebrity gossips that he says violate the privacy right of those private persons covered. Under the current regulations, the people adversely affected by this kind of news coverage can file complaints against media outlets that publish photos showing one’s genitals are exposed or seen inappropriate with Vietnam’s fine habits and customs, he said. Such a case can catch fines ranging from VND3 million to VND20 million and an additional penalty is to publish a correction or make an apology.
The Civil Code, he notes, protects the privacy right of private persons unless those people intentionally create scandals as a shortcut to fame.
Meanwhile, Nguoi Lao Dong questions whether or not law enforcement agencies are ignoring over-hyped pieces on online news sites. The scandalization of a celebrity’s exposure of butt, bust or underwear has become the norm of online tabloids to increase viewership numbers, says the paper. This clearly indicates sensational news sites show no good taste and no compassion for the people they cover, even including children, and do not care about harm or discomfort that may be brought to those in their news coverage.
In a piece published on Vietnam+ website, Nguyen Anh says serious papers would never choose to publish such photos; otherwise, they would be tagged as tabloid. Should they do so, they are advised to blur sensitive areas, Anh said, adding he would not rule out the possibility that some people want to use online tabloids as a quick way to make themselves known to the public through scandals.
He says reporters should sympathize with those singers or models unintentionally exposing their genitals. They determine the news of the day and organize it around their sense of importance, so if their ethics is comprised by sensationalism, the public cannot get completely informed of the world around them. There are many issues of interest out there which should be reported to help people make good decisions.
The Saigon Times Daily
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