Post date: Apr 12, 2012 6:19:13 PM
USA-Shooting/Reax -- Chinese students rap biased foreign media reports on USC shooting
CCTV BEIJING - Chinese students at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles expressed their anger over the U.S. media's problematic coverage of the shooting of two Chinese students.
Two Chinese students were shot and killed while sitting in a car outside the school campus early on Wednesday morning. They were identified as 23-year-old Wu Ying and Qu Ming, both graduate students majoring in electrical engineering.
The local media coverage of the shooting focused on the two Chinese students' flaunting wealth, which they implied had led to their death.
"Gunfire tore through the new 3-series BMW near the University of Southern California campus in the midnight rain," San Francisco Chronicle started its story like this. And the Washington Post reported the accident with the headline "LA police say 2 USC engineering grad students from China shot to death near campus in BMW."
Such implications made USC Chinese students indignant, who pointed out straightly that the statement is untrue and insulting.
"I don't know why the U.S. media reported the accident that way. They were just diverting people's attention from Chinese students getting killed to Chinese students showing off their wealth, I think. But it's nothing like that," said Jin Xiaoxi, USC Chinese student.
The BMW Qu Ming was driving was a second-hand car, having already run 80,000 miles when he got it last year at 10,000 U.S. dollars, said Wang Quan, a friend of another victim Wu Ying.
The victims led a very simple life, not the kind of life described by the U.S. newspapers, Wang added.
Wang said Wu Ying was a very frugal girl. "She was very frugal and aspirant. She cooked her own meals to save money instead of eating out," said Wang Quan.
Other Chinese students said the news reports should focus on the tragedy itself.
"Whatever car they were driving, it's the human life that matters," said a USC Chinese student.
At the memorial service held Wednesday evening, a friend of Qu Ming called on the media to report the story as it is and give their respect to the victims.
"I just hope that the press here can report the two victims' life in America with their conscience, report it truly without any exaggeration or distortion. That's our only condolence to the deceased," said a friend of Qu Ming at the memorial service.
She asked those present at the service to raise their hands if they were in favor of her view, and many did.
More than 2,000 teachers and students of USC participated in the memorial service, holding candle lights to pay their respects to the victims.
Families of the two victims have been informed of the tragedy and will get to Los Angeles soon.
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