Don't let media shape your views

Comment on "Clinton talks with chinadaily.com.cn readers" (China Daily website, Feb 22)

The mentality of the Western media shows its lack of knowledge and how easy it brainwashes its consumers.

I was watching news in Los Angeles on my way back to Canada, and saw how reports twisted the story on how Hillary Clinton stressed human rights issues. They even featured one of the celebrities talking about how hurt she felt because people in China had no voice.

They even featured a scene in Tibet where the chaos happened last year, but did not mention that few of the local Tibetans disturbed the peace and hurt other innocent people. This is how Western media wrongly portrayed the incident in Tibet last year.

I want to tell those biased media outlets, please don't speak for the Chinese people. They are just fine.

My friends, uncles and their families have beautiful apartments and plenty of food to eat. They work and have their own businesses. They enjoy art by going to museums almost every weekend. They find time to do charity work and send some money to the Red Cross each time they hear disasters have struck different countries. Just curious, have many of you have done charity work?

My uncles practice Taiji every morning and keep themselves very healthy. All of their grandchildren study at university. My uncles could never have dreamed of these days 30 years ago.

I visited them in China four years ago and was extremely amazed by how wrong my knowledge of China was thanks to the Western media. But, not any more. I think seeing the fact with your own eyes is much better than listening to incorrect reports.

China isn't perfect but I think it's becoming a better place to live for its people.

So, please let's tackle our own internal affairs and let's hope we all will be doing okay during this economic uncertainty.

Last, please visit the country if you want to get the facts about what is going on instead of relying solely on your media alone. Please do not let the media underestimate your intelligence.

Vanessa

On China Daily website

Migrant workers' lives so 'hard'

Comment on "A migrant worker's struggle to stay in the city amid dim hopes" (China Daily website, Feb 8)

I feel very sad when reading about the difficult lives and struggles of migrant workers in big cities.

To be honest, my father is also a migrant worker who works extremely hard and does a dangerous job, living in a shabby room with very simple food.

Every time I see migrant workers in the cities, I can't help thinking of my father.

Life is so hard and I swear to do my best to support my family so my dear father doesn't need to live that terrible life anymore. He is already 46 years old.

Summer

on China Daily website

More jobs on the chopping block

It seems the new labor law is not always so helpful to workers.

Many companies refuse to extend contracts because of the dire business situation. Workers are still likely to get fired if the economy worsens.

Michael

on China Daily website

Readers' comments are welcome. Please send mail to Letters to the Editor, China Daily, 15 Huixin Dongjie, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029 China. Send faxes to (86-10) 6491-8377. Send e-mail to opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you.

(China Daily 02/24/2009 page9)