In all my years of reading the South China Morning Post, this was the first time I have felt compelled to write expressing my opinion of Hong Kong's supposedly leading English newspaper. On October 23, the Post's lead picture story was Pamela Pak Wan-kam's release from prison. I do not see how it can be justified that Ms Pak's prison release, visit to the salon and subsequent collapse was that day's most important story. How does Ms Pak's story have any bearing on your readers?

The front page reflects the editorial sense of a newspaper and on this occasion, the Post has demonstrated that it possesses a strange sense of what needs to be brought to the public's attention.

ANDREW AU