Don’t use Net to spread rumors

Hundreds of crocodiles in a park in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, came out of the water to rest on the surface recently, prompting many netizens to say this suggested an earthquake would rock the area soon. But the park authorities have said such a phenomenon is normal for crocodiles, and the local earthquake bureau has clarified that seismographs do not point to an earthquake, says an article on youth.cn. Excerpts:

The Internet is a great communication tool that can spread information fast and conveniently. It can give insights into incidents and be used to help dig out the truth.

But it can also give a lot of room to people to manufacture information or distort facts, which can harm individuals or even the entire society. To avoid this, we should draw a line on what and how to report and respect objectivity. Besides, netizens should learn to distinguish right from wrong.

The phenomenon of abnormally large groups of animals flocking to or fleeing a place could easily prompt many people to assume an impending natural disaster and spread panic among the public.

Fortunately, the Nanjing park responded quickly to the netizens’ assumptions, saying that crocodiles are cold-blooded animals that need sunshine to heat their body and thus have to bask in the sun at regular intervals. Seismologists and geologists, too, said the latest data do not suggest that Nanjing is a quakeprone area.

The false alarm has taught people that assumptions are not necessarily correct. If the person who took the pictures of the crocodiles was not that eager to upload them and share his views on the Internet before seeking confirmation from the park or quake experts, he could have spared people a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Curious and novelty-seeking netizens’ tendency to spread unconfirmed “facts” make them rumor-mongers. Netizens should abandon such mentality, stick to the bottom line of morality and use the Internet to spread only facts and objective reports.

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily US Edition.