TV female guest drunk driving continues: Zhejiang publicity department denies Weibo ban

by xue94fwsh on 2012-02-25 11:24:11

After the incident, the mystery of Chen Mingyue's identity and background, under the contrast between her bright public image and her drunk driving hit-and-run behavior, has sparked countless speculations and criticisms on the internet. Rumors about a powerful "big figure" behind Chen Mingyue intervening in this matter spread widely online.

In the afternoon today, a person in charge of the Publicity Department of Zhejiang Provincial Committee revealed to the reporter of Legal Daily that the rumor circulating on the Internet about the Publicity Department of Zhejiang Provincial Committee calling to request bloggers to delete information is completely false. They will track down the source of the network rumors and hold the rumor makers legally accountable.

Chen Mingyue was a female guest on a matchmaking program within Zhejiang Province. Her self-narrative as a "marriage maniac" still circulates widely on the Internet. Her Mandarin with a Taizhou accent, her bold performances, and her explicit language in the program made her quickly stand out. Her popularity soared, and she was crowned with titles such as "Sister No. 1 of Taizhou" and "Taizhou Famous Model."

According to the police investigation, at 1:34 AM on the day of the incident, Chen Mingyue drove a red BMW 320 car and rear-ended a taxi traveling in the same direction on Xingming Road. The taxi then collided with a heavy box truck parked on the right side of the road. Afterwards, Chen Mingyue left the scene by taxi.

The reporter of Legal Daily learned from the Sanmen government department in Taizhou that Chen Mingyue's family lives in Xiaoxiong Town, Sanmen County, Taizhou. Both of her parents are ordinary farmers with no special family background.

On January 29, the blogger "Zhang Xu Zhao" claimed: A few days ago, I posted a message about the guest of Love Connection, Chen Mingyue, who was drunk driving and fled after hitting a car. The facts were clear, and the wording was accurate, which was forwarded by national media. However, today, I received a call from the Publicity Department of the Provincial Committee, requiring me to delete this blog post. Why?

The "cover-up" by the Propaganda Department is purely a rumor.

Recently, the drunk driving case of Chen Mingyue, known as the "No. 1 Sister of Taizhou," became a hot topic on the Internet. In the afternoon today, a person in charge of the Publicity Department of Zhejiang Provincial Committee revealed to the reporter of Legal Daily that the rumor circulating on the Internet about the Publicity Department of Zhejiang Provincial Committee calling to request bloggers to delete information is completely false. They will track down the source of the network rumors and hold the rumor makers legally accountable.

While mourning for the innocent life lost, the focus turned to the BMW owner involved in the accident, 26-year-old model Chen Mingyue from Sanmen, Taizhou.

For this, relevant experts pointed out that network rumors seem unrelated to society. At first glance, they are just "rumors and gossip" in the virtual world. Once spread, these rumors confuse kind-hearted and normal people, making it hard to distinguish truth from falsehood and right from wrong. From a long-term perspective, the negative impact and potential significant harm hidden behind this should not be underestimated.

According to the report released by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), as of June 2011, the total number of Internet users in China reached 485 million. In the first half of 2011, the number of Weibo users in China increased from 63.11 million to 195 million.

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Regulating network rumors requires improving legislation.

On January 30, the Weibo blogger "Relatives of Senior Police Inspector Tan Shufa from Guangzhou" posted: "No. 1 Sister of Taizhou" Chen Mingyue, who was involved in a drunk driving hit-and-run incident resulting in death, the Internet rumored that the Publicity Department of Zhejiang Provincial Committee was suppressing the news. It also rumored that her godfather's name could scare the masses... If you want to know, forward it!

Such Weibo posts, vividly described, were extensively re-posted in a short time, causing indignation among many netizens, forming a trend of watching and questioning.

"After the incident, the police promptly announced the appraisal results of Chen Mingyue's drunk driving and fleeing the scene, thus eliminating any possibility of cover-up." A staff member of the Taizhou police said that this is the most powerful factual evidence of fairness and justice.

"How much legal responsibility does 'spreading rumors' entail?" In fact, laws punishing rumors have long existed. Our current Law on Public Security Administration Punishments and Criminal Law clearly stipulate penalties for spreading rumors and disrupting social order. Depending on the different harms and nature of the rumors, rumor-makers and spreaders must bear corresponding legal responsibilities. Whether in the "virtual world" or the real world, as long as your actions have public and social characteristics, they cannot be exempt from the law.

As an emerging new media platform, Weibo brings rich and interesting communication experiences to people while also providing fertile ground for "network rumors."

In recent years, with the rapid development of the Internet and the rise of Weibo, various network rumors have appeared behind social hotspot events. How should network rumors be dealt with? Experts point out that governing network rumors requires quickly formulating and improving strict regulations against them.

Yang Jianhua, deputy director of the Institute of Society at Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences, told the reporter of Legal Daily that the Internet has developed to the point where the "virtual world" and the real society are inseparable. The Internet is already an extension of social life, a true reflection of social life in another space. Online behaviors should be subject to the dual constraints of morality and law, just like real-life behaviors.

At 1:36 AM on January 24, the police in Jiaojiang District, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, received an emergency call: An accident occurred on Xingming Road in Jiaojiang District, where vehicles were squeezed. The taxi driver died after failing to be saved.

Thus, forums and Weibo began to spread the rumor that the Publicity Department of Zhejiang Provincial Committee had requested bloggers to delete information.

"For those who spread rumors on the Internet, if their fabrication and dissemination of rumors cause adverse consequences and serious impacts on society, they should be held accountable for corresponding legal responsibilities, just like in real life," Yang Jianhua said.

Among them, a Weibo post by the blogger "Wang Xiaosai" stated, "According to reliable sources, the provincial publicity department suppressed all news about the famous model Chen Mingyue's drunk driving hit-and-run incident. There's a bigger game behind it. It's rumored that her father's name can scare you." This was retweeted 18,000 times in a short period.

Meanwhile, the reporter from Legal Daily learned from the People's Procuratorate of Jiaojiang District, Taizhou City, that on January 30, the People's Procuratorate of Jiaojiang District had approved the arrest of Chen Mingyue.

â–¡Focus Attention

"No Background for 'No. 1 Sister of Taizhou'"

Reporter Chen Dongsheng

"The relatives of retired senior police inspector Tan Shufa from Guangzhou" then commented: "I confirmed with a certain blogger whether there was a chat record screenshot of being called by 'the Publicity Department of Zhejiang Provincial Committee pressuring layer by layer' to require deleting posts. @Wang Xiaosai was beside the blogger at that time and heard it too! The absence of malpractice in the drunk driving case does not mean there is no malpractice behind it! Several of my consecutive Weibo posts were deleted without reason by Sina Weibo."

Regarding this, a media professional in Zhejiang expressed confusion to the reporter of Legal Daily: "This is completely spreading rumors. Regarding the Chen Mingyue car crash incident, firstly, the police handling was appropriate, secondly, the media reported from the beginning and continuously followed up without concealing facts. Where did the news of the Publicity Department notifying to ban news come from?"

While people condemned the lack of public morality in drunk driving behavior, the reporter of Legal Daily observed that after the tragedy, various rumors spread on the Internet one after another.

At 2:52 AM on the same day, the Jiaojiang police took Chen Mingyue away from Taizhou Xingang Grand Hotel for investigation. On January 29, according to the detection by the Evidence Identification Office of Taizhou Public Security Bureau, the alcohol content in Chen Mingyue's blood was 170mg/100ml, which constituted drunk driving. The police believed that after the accident, Chen Mingyue fled the scene after causing a traffic accident.

He suggested that, besides applying existing laws, regulations targeting the new situations and problems brought by Internet development should be formulated as soon as possible to strictly control network rumors. Especially, the nature of network rumors, responsibility determination, harm compensation, and management entities, procedures, supervision, etc., should be clearly defined in legal terms, thereby improving relevant laws and regulations and corresponding supervision systems, creating a healthy public opinion environment for the development of the Internet.