Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 23 (Reporter Zhou Jie, Ma Xiangfei, Zhou Xin) The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) held an online press conference in Montreal local time on the 22nd, explaining the agency's consistent attitude and unified principles towards anti-doping, and for example, in 2014, there was a case involving more than 10 athletes in the United States, WADA accepted the conclusion of the United States Anti-Doping Agency that these athletes were not at fault, and no athletes were accused of violating anti-doping regulations. Regrettably, this case is now forgotten or deliberately ignored in some Western media coverage.
The media is expected not only to disseminate information, but also to uphold justice. However, the responsibilities and ideals of the media are sometimes eroded by the colored glasses and political biases of reality, such as the case mentioned above.
Such neglect and similar erosion are not unique. When it comes to the people who want to go viral, some Western media outlets always seem to find ways to avoid negative information that might tarnish the image of the reports. On the contrary, when similar incidents occur in other countries, especially rivals or countries that are seen as opposites, they react and behave very differently. Such double standards expose a serious problem that has persisted in some Western media: selective blindness in the face of journalistic facts.
Citing the example of the alleged fact that a number of Chinese swimmers were found positive for the doping trimetazidine in 2021 and were not punished, WADA President Banka made it clear: "We have carefully reviewed the decision of the China Anti-Doping Center from all angles. We questioned each piece of evidence and gathered further information as appropriate. As part of this review, we gathered relevant new scientific information and consulted with independent scientific experts. None of the sources provided any credible evidence of misconduct and therefore did not meet the threshold for initiating an investigation. Yang Ge, director of WADA's intelligence and investigation department, also repeatedly reiterated that China is not trying to hide positive test results. "Why would they take a test and report a positive test result if they know it would pose a lot of problems? "Even though the authorities have clearly explained the investigation procedures and results, some Western media still insist on malicious attacks and smears with a distorted and biased attitude.
The practice of selective blindness to journalistic facts has multiple harms. First, it undermines the principles of objectivity and neutrality that should be expected of the media, and makes the public doubt the veracity of all media reports. Second, this kind of blindness and biased reporting leads to a biased perception of things by the public, unable to understand the whole picture of things in a comprehensive, objective and accurate way, thus distorting the public's perception and causing prejudice and misunderstanding of specific countries or groups. Third, this selective blindness will eventually eat back against the media itself, damaging the credibility of the media itself, and in the long run, people's trust in the media will continue to decline.
In today's world, the role of the media is more important than ever. They are a bridge between different cultures and different societies. If these bridges are built on selective blindness and prejudice, they will only deepen the divide between people, rather than promote understanding and cooperation.
Therefore, it is time for some Western media to re-examine their roles and responsibilities. Upholding an impartial and objective stance, regardless of whether the subject of the report is a national hero or a foreign competitor, is not only an insistence on one's own professional ethics, but also a respect for the public's trust. Only in this way can true truth and justice reach every corner and every heart.