| Allison, Thats exactly what I thought about when I read the post. I dont think that it is that these things never happened in the past, it is just that the news didnt report them, and the biggest change being the instant communications via the internet. I think the internet is playing a large role in getting the media to report more "bad" news. If the news doesnt say anything about the bus accident, then some Shanghai blogger is likely to have seen it and will blog about it, post pictures, etc. Then those on the BBS etc speculate that is was terrorism, etc and the speculation gets out of hand quickly. In the past this didnt really exist, and you might have just had some people in the neighborhood gossiping about it without the information spreading far. But I dont think Chinese media can yet come close to the US in the are of fear mongering. By the way, I thought Bowling for Columbine was an excellent movie and really helps to explain alot of things about America |
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