On March 13, local media organizations reported banana plants on Hainan Island had contracted the deadly Panama disease. Rumors soon started circulating that the disease can cause cancer in human bodies. Almost one month later, the Ministry of Agriculture has finally confirmed the disease does not affect the mature fruit that's sold on the market. But banana farmers in Hainan suffered enormous losses before the rumors were quelled.

Our reporter Wang Jing is here to report on what the media had to say on the incidence.

Reporter: Red Net published a comment that says the government should take responsibility for all the losses the farmers have sustained.

Neither the local government nor the Ministry of Agriculture came out with the truth in time to help the farmers. It says there was nothing wrong with the media reports on the disease, which quoted experts and farmers. Some misunderstandings are inevitable when new stories break. But the government should have worked to stamp out the rumors with the truth at an earlier stage.

Another comment on the Xinhua News website says the incident shows how vulnerable farmers are in the market. They have little access to market information and deal with wholesalers from a disadvantaged position. Lots of them also run small-scale farms, which makes them even more vulnerable when faced with unexpected problems.
 
Guangzhou Daily published an opinion that says the incident was caused by the differences between urban and rural area. Urban residents have been carelessly dumping all kinds of waste in the countryside for a long time, while rural folk have been selling polluted products in the cities. Each side is acting in their own interests and hurting the other side, causing the distrust between the rural and urban folk to grow. In this particular case, the farmers knew the truth but the media wouldn't listen to them because it's run by urban people.

Another report in the China Press and Publish Papers criticized the media for the role it played in the incident. It reminded journalists to be aware of their professional ethics and base their reports on careful consideration of the facts and thorough investigation. Journalists need to consider their social responsibilities when writing reports. The paper called for closer government supervision of the media.