Page 136 - Feasibility Study of New Media Technology on Constructing Online Public Sphere
P. 136
Feasibility Study of New Media Technology
on Constructing Online Public Sphere
stays unchanged, such kind of incident will happen again!’ (Li, 2008, p.22)
As shown in Figure 14, 64.76% of respondents held the opinion that the identify
of Sun was a positive influence on the development of the case. Additionally, 24.76%
influenced the case to some extent because the fact that a newly graduated designer was
beaten to death can arouse extensive anger among the public and the substance of the
case was about migrant worker’s rights which can arouse sympathetic reaction as well.
The special identity of Sun did not help the spread of the incident to those who have
faced or are likely to be involved in the same situation.
Figure 14. Do you think the identification influence on the final settlement of the case?
In the later phase of the Sun Zhigang case, when the public rage had calmed, pub-
lic opinion stepped towards to the essential cause of the incident. The netizens begun
to criticise the performance of the local government and denounced the illegality and
irrationality of the C&R system. For example, one comment on the Sina portal was:
‘We call for the National People’s Congress to execute its function of supervision,
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to make proposals to regulate the C&R process (Li, 2008, p.22) ’.
One netizen even came up with specific proposal to replace the C&R regulation.
Others joined to discuss and made suggestions to modify the proposal. Another com-
ment was:
‘We must abolish the C&R system. Because it is against human rights. It does not
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conform with the socialist system in our country (ibid, p.22-23) ’.
Public medium in the Sun Zhigang case
17 Translation provided by the author.
18 Translation provided by the author.
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