Watchdogs or hunting dogs?

For three years, people in the northeastern industrial city of Shenyang were riveted to the story of Liu Yong, a mafia boss with blood-curdling brutishness. With him safely locked up, reporters exposed his crimes, weaving together an account on how he built his empire with a private army to terrorise competitors.

Liu and his henchman, Song Jianfei, were imprisoned in July 1999 after Song was sent to beat up a cigarette vendor, who later died of internal bleeding. In April, the intermediate court in Shenyang sentenced the two to death after they were found guilty of deliberate assault. Liu hired China's top litigation lawyer, Tian Wenchang, to appeal.

Last month, the higher court of Liaoning province ordered a stay of execution for two years on the grounds that Liu's confession was extracted under coercion and was not admissible as evidence of his direct involvement in the vendor's death. Song, however, was executed.

By this time, Liu's notoriety had spread across the country and the public was enraged by the higher court's decision. The legal profession, on the other hand, hailed it as a landmark decision on protecting a citizen's right to a fair trial. Journalists were stunned by the ruling and found it difficult to explain that even a villain had rights. Public anger was not easy to placate. Meanwhile, Mr Tian lashed out at the media, accusing them of sensational and often unsubstantiated reporting, which meant his client had been found guilty in the court of public opinion.

Journalists covering the case began to take flak from all sides. In addition to castigation from lawyers, gang members also targeted the press. Cui Yabin, author of a book entitled Root Out The Mafia, received threatening phone calls as the mafiosi hit back at his investigations into Liu's shadowy world.

On the surface, Liu's could be a rags-to-riches story that the media love to glorify. The 43-year-old entrepreneur began by running a modest store, eventually building a sprawling conglomerate, the Jiayang Group, which employs 2,500 people and has interests in trading, garments, restaurants, entertainment, supermarkets and property development. Liu had long been accused of heading a crime group, which terrorised his competitors so he could gain a monopoly.

Liu used his wealth to bribe officials and recruit detectives into his personal army, according to Cui's book. He forged close personal ties with high-ranking law-enforcement officers and was also a National People's Congress delegate.