The most disturbing image of the year so far must be the Korean-born American student Cho Seung-hui in the videos and photographs he made of himself before killing 32 people at Virginia Tech last week. The media were in a difficult position. The pictures were an important part of the story, telling us something about this twisted individual. Some people would say the public had a right to know this. But the gunman had wanted the material shown and it must have been especially painful for relatives of his victims to see.
Many Americans protested loudly about these images being shown. Some said it glorified Cho - who shot himself after the rampage - rewarded his actions, or made him a 'TV star'. Some said they did not want to see it. The US media listened to these views, moderated their use of the material and took part in a major debate. It is a reminder that freedom of the press, like other rights, comes with responsibilities.
This is a lesson some of our media in Hong Kong have never entirely learned. Some Americans accused the media of showing Cho's video clips and photographs to push up ratings and make more advertising revenue. I wonder what those people would think of some Hong Kong newspapers and magazines?
Many publications, including the South China Morning Post, keep to high standards of decency. But some will print photographs of mangled bodies in a car crash, or someone in mid-air, leaping to their death from a building. Where they cannot get shocking photographs, they use computer graphics to recreate (or simply invent) violent images to accompany news stories.
The only time there is a major uproar is when a Canto-pop star feels their privacy has been invaded. No doubt the rich and famous deserve some privacy, but if you become a star you have to expect media attention - indeed, you need it. The same goes for less glamorous figures such as politicians. The people I feel sorry for are ordinary citizens, who have their dignity taken away to entertain the media audience.
It is not just in pictures. Details of people's lives are used to sensationalise the news. The joint inquest into the death of constable Tsui Po-ko, two other constables and a bank security guard is a serious event, but some newspapers just latched on to personal details about Tsui's family. What sort of details will we be hearing on the case over the late Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum's will?
