Broadcasters carry stories of hope; social media helps relay messages
Heartfelt stories of bravery, sorrow and hope reach millions of viewers and users
Quake victims reached out yesterday via mainland media with tears, sorrow and even a few smiles with reports of selfless deeds, successful rescues and at least one birth.
Television and newspapers played a major role in transmitting the latest news, but social media also had a key part in helping to get relief efforts underway.
Shanghai-based Dragon TV was the first channel to launch a live broadcast - at 8:20am, minutes after the quake struck - while state broadcaster CCTV's Channel 13 began live news reports at about 10am. Stations in Zhejiang , Hunan , Jiangsu , Ningxia , and Hubei followed suit.
A two-year-old boy touched hearts across the nation when he was dug from the rubble, dusty and crying but suffering only minor wounds. He was later filmed being comforted by rescue workers and nurses in the accident ward of Huaxi Hospital. West China City Daily said the child's mother, who held him in her arms when the house collapsed, was still missing.
A picture of a young man carrying his father whose feet had been badly injured was carried by West China City Daily and quickly spread online among millions of users. The father and son had to wait for an hour outside a makeshift tent operating room on the grounds of Lushan town hospital, where scores of injured were sprawled. When asked whether he was tired, the younger man simply said "no".
Amid the destruction, a girl was born in a covered car park outside Yaan's People's Hospital soon after the quake, CCTV reported.